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Lukaschko pardoned 32 prisoners - but 1,275 remain caught!
Lukaschko pardoned 32 political prisoners in Belarus, while over 1,275 are still detained under hard conditions.
Lukaschko pardoned 32 prisoners - but 1,275 remain caught!
Belarusian President Alexander Lukaschenko pardoned 32 political prisoners on Wednesday who were convicted of "extremist offenses". This decision comes on the opposition in the middle of a persistent pressure, while over 1,000 people have been detained since the massive protests in 2020. Critics warn that repression against dissenters will continue to be continued unabated, despite this apparent gesture of grace.
The pardoned prisoners include 17 people with chronic diseases and nine who are over 50 years old. The Belarusian presidency emphasized that the Ministry of the Interior will monitor compliance with the laws by these persons. This pardon has been the sixth wave of release since July, with a total of 178 people have been released from prison since then. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition leader living in exile, was pleased with the release, but pointed out the hard reality: "The repression continues and the number of political prisoners is growing."
The grim reality of political prisoners
Lukaschko, who has ruled with an iron hand since 1994, has moved Belarus closer to Moscow and allowed Russia to use the country as a starting point for the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. These developments have further burdened relationships with the western countries. Political prisoners live under extremely hard conditions, often without access to lawyers or contact with their relatives. The recent reports on the detained protest leader Maria Kolesnikova show that the situation of the prisoners is still worrying.