Belarus has launched a fresh round of prisoner releases following talks between President Alexander Lukashenko and US envoy John Coale, human rights group Viasna said on Wednesday.
The development follows an interim agreement reached during discussions between Lukashenko and Coale, according to the US envoy, who was quoted by Belarusian state news agency Belta.
Coale said Belarus had agreed to release 25 people, while the United States would lift sanctions on two Belarusian companies.
Viasna said relatives of some prisoners had been informed that they could collect their loved ones from penal colonies on Wednesday morning.
The latest releases come as Washington continues negotiations with Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The US began talks with the Belarusian leader last year and has since eased sanctions on Belarus in exchange for prisoner releases.
Viasna, which is banned in Belarus, said more than 900 political prisoners remain in detention in the former Soviet state, despite Coale negotiating the release of hundreds since the middle of last year.
Those detained have commonly faced charges including “extremist” activity, conspiracy to seize power, incitement to hatred and insulting the president.
But, Lukashenko rejected the description of those being released as political prisoners during his talks with Coale on Tuesday.
He also dismissed claims by human rights groups and Belarus’s exiled opposition that his government has been arresting more people to replace those it releases.
Ojo Triumph
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