What happened
Belarus has released over 500 political prisoners, including the husband of opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, as part of a humanitarian agreement with the US. The releases were secured through negotiations between US envoy John Coale and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Tsikhanouskaya welcomes the releases, but warns that they should not be seen as a sign of political change. She argues that Lukashenko is using the prisoner releases to strengthen his regime and gain international recognition.
Despite the releases, there are still 876 political prisoners in detention, according to the Belarusian human rights organization Viasna. Tsikhanouskaya is concerned that the US may be normalizing its relations with Lukashenko's regime, which she believes would be a mistake.
Lukashenko has a history of using prisoner releases to gain concessions from the West, only to crack down on opposition later. Tsikhanouskaya believes that he is trying to present himself as a restraining influence on Russian President Vladimir Putin, while actually serving Russia's interests.
