BBC: Belarus has freed 123 prisoners, including prominent opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova, after the US agreed to lift sanctions on the country.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski is also among those who have been released following talks in Minsk with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, John Coale.
The US has agreed to lift sanctions on potash, a key ingredient in fertiliser and an important export for Belarus, which is a close ally of Russia.
Coale said: “As relations between the two countries normalise, more and more sanctions will be lifted.”
Belarus’ president, Alexander Lukashenko, is not recognised as president by the EU.
Kolesnikova has been in prison since 2020, much of the time in isolation. Speaking after her release, she described “a feeling of unbelievable happiness” at being able to see and hug people “dear to me”.
She said: “It’s a huge happiness to see the first sunset of my freedom, such amazing beauty.
“But also we think of those who are not yet free. I wait for the moment when we can all hug each other, when all are free.”
Kolesnikova was handed over to Ukraine along with 113 other prisoners, according to Kyiv’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
In a statement on Telegram, Ukraine said that after receiving the necessary medical assistance, the prisoners will be transported to Poland and Lithuania.
