 |
| Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski arrives in Vilnius(Image:Reuters) |
After the United States agreed to lift sanctions on Belarus, 123 prisoners have been released, including Maria Kolesnikova, a prominent opposition activist. Ales Bialiatski, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is also among those who have been freed following meetings in Minsk with John Coale, the special envoy for Belarus for US President Donald Trump. 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.
"As relations between the two countries normalize, more and more sanctions will be lifted," Coale stated. The European Union does not recognize Alexander Lukashenko as the president of Belarus.
Europe faces "civilizational erasure," the Trump administration claims.
Since 2020, Kolesnikova has been imprisoned, spending most of her time alone. The BBC was informed of the news shortly after Tatiana Khomich, her sister, who tirelessly fought for her release, was able to speak with her via video call. Khomich said, "She is free, she looks fine, she looks good," and she said she was excited to hug her brother. Kolesnikova was handed over to Ukraine along with 113 other prisoners, according to Kyiv's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Ukraine said in a Telegram statement that the inmates would be transported to Poland and Lithuania once they received the required medical care.
The exiled leader of the Belarusian opposition, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was waiting outside the US embassy in Vilnius, told the BBC that Lukashenko had made the unexpected decision to send them to Ukraine. A few of them, including Bialiatski, were transferred to the capital of Lithuania. Bialiatski embraced Tikhanovskaya and said, "Our struggle continues because thousands of people have been and continue to be imprisoned." "Thank you to the US administration, President Trump [and] to the Belarus government as well for leading and talking and having these negotiations," Kolesnikova said in their first conversation, according to Khomich. For Lukashenko, the deal is a significant accomplishment. The authoritarian leader will also be pleased with the Americans' efforts to end his isolation on the international stage. Following unconstitutional elections five years ago, which resulted in massive street protests that were brutally suppressed by police, the US, along with the EU, did not recognize Lukashenko as president. At that time, hundreds of people, including Kolesnikova, were detained, and the severe political repression has continued.
 |
| Maria Kolesnikova and 113 other prisoners were transported to Ukraine from Belarus(Image:BBC) |
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when troops entered through Belarus and missiles were fired from its territory, Western sanctions were increased. State media in Belarus cited Coale as saying that potash sanctions would be lifted immediately. The US ambassador also stated that he discussed Ukraine with Lukashenko and what assistance Minsk could provide during talks with Putin. The attempt to engage with Minsk is part of a major shift in US policy, which leaves it very much at odds with Europe where the approach is to sanction and isolate.
Both Marina Zolotova, editor-in-chief of the independent news site Tut.by, and Belarusian opposition politician Viktor Babaryko, who was arrested five years ago, were released on Saturday. Tikhanovskaya said that sanctions are a "leverage to make dictators do something" in reference to the agreement that the United States and Belarus made regarding potash shipments in exchange for the releases. She said: "Lukashenko will not release people because he somehow became humane, he wants to sell people as expensive as possible.
Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi arrested in Iran, supporters say.
Naturally, it is the cost. However, we are aware that American sanctions are somewhat adaptable. "If some deals are not fulfilled, they can lift them tomorrow."
Source: BBC
Posts
0 Comments