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3d ago

U.S. Lifts Belarus Potash Sanctions as Minsk Pardons 123, Frees Nobel Laureate

Rights groups warn repression persists despite the prisoner releases.

Ales Bialiatski, en una celda durante un juicio en Minsk en 2023.
El intercambio consistió en la liberación de presos políticos a cambio del levantamiento de sanciones económicas por parte de Washington. | Crédito: captura en X y pixabay
Ales Bialiatski habla con la prensa en la embajada de Estados Unidos en Vilnius, Lituania, tras su liberación.
En esta imagen, distribuida por la oficina de prensa del presidente de Bielorrusia, Alexander Lukashenko (derecha) y el enviado de Estados Unidos, John Coale, se dan la mano durante una reunión en Minsk, Bielorrusia, el 12 de diciembre de 2025. (Oficina de prensa de la presidencia de Bielorrusia vía AP)

Overview

  • U.S. special envoy John Coale met Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk over two days and called the talks very productive, saying normalization is Washington’s goal.
  • Belarus announced pardons for 123 people after the U.S. move on fertilizers, with Nobel Peace laureate Ales Bialiatski and opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova among those freed.
  • Viasna reported additional high‑profile releases, including former presidential hopeful Viktor Babariko, with some detainees headed to neighboring Lithuania.
  • The sanctions relief targets a potash industry that once supplied about 20% of global exports, though European Union measures and the loss of transit via Lithuania remain major constraints.
  • Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed releases but urged caution, noting many political prisoners remain and Belarus continues to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.