Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 30 people convicted of anti-government protests, four years after massive demonstrations. A massive crackdown on dissent and fueled a new wave of migration.
Lukashenko’s office said in a statement on Wednesday that the move was a “humanitarian gesture” that affected seven women and 23 men.
“Most … are parents of young children,” he said, without elaborating on their identities.
A veteran leaderwho turned 70 last week, released 18 people from prison in early July and on August 16 announced amnesty for 30 individuals.
Those released so far include the sick and elderly, some of whom were nearing the end of their sentences.
Among them are trade union leader Vasil Berasniu, former opposition presidential candidate Raihor Custacio and Ksenia Lutskyina, a former state TV journalist who is suffering from a brain tumor.
About 1,400 people are in prison in Belarus for dissenting from Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for 30 years, according to the rights group Viasna. Thousands of others have left the country.
Last week, allies of exiled opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova said she was being “slowly murdered” in the prison where she is being held in eastern Belarus, where she is being kept in constant solitary confinement.
Protests erupted in Belarus in the run-up to presidential elections in 2020, with Lukashenko claiming a landslide victory. The opposition called the result fraudulent.
Repressive for years, Belarus doubled down on protests and became more isolated after 2022 when it allowed Russia to use its territory to invade Ukraine.
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