Most of those freed are citizens of Belarus and were released as part of an agreement with the United States involving the partial lifting of sanctions on Belarus’s potash industry. Five Ukrainian citizens were also released.

Among those freed are prominent political and civil society figures:

• Maria Kalesnikava, sentenced in 2021 to 11 years in prison;
• Viktar Babaryka, entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, sentenced in 2021 to 14 years on fabricated charges;
• Maksim Znak, Belarusian lawyer and legal adviser to Viktar Babaryka’s campaign, sentenced to 10 years in prison;
• Ales Bialiatski, human rights defender, co-founder of the Viasna Human Rights Centre and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, sentenced to 10 years.

Photo: Ramil Nasibulin / BelTA