Belarusian President Lukashenko frees 123 prisoners

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko released 123 prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski and opposition leader Maria Kalesnikava, after talks with a U.S. envoy. In exchange, the U.S. will lift sanctions on Belarusian potash, crucial for fertilizers.

This release marks Lukashenko's largest since engagement with the Trump administration began this year. The U.S. aims to reduce Lukashenko's ties with Putin, although the Belarusian opposition remains skeptical.

Bialiatski had been imprisoned since July 2021 for his human rights activism, while Kalesnikava led protests in 2020. The U.S. and EU imposed sanctions after Lukashenko's violent crackdown on dissent and support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.