2025: Lukashenko pardons 342, but 509 recognized as political prisoners
Picket in Support of Nobel Laureate Ales Bialiatski / MayDay
In Belarus this year, 342 people were pardoned, while 509 became political prisoners, reports the human rights center "Viasna."
Among the released political prisoners this year was Viasna's founder, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski. Like many other released prisoners, he was forced to leave Belarus.
This year alone, 189 political prisoners were forcibly deported from the country.
On November 22, Alexander Lukashenko also pardoned 31 Ukrainian citizens who had been detained in Belarus. According to Viasna human rights defenders, among them were those detained and sentenced for political reasons. The pardoned were immediately handed over to Ukraine.
