Belarus frees 123 political prisoners

14-Dec-2025

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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko freed 123 prisoners on Dec 13 including Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski and leading opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava in a deal brokered by an envoy for US President Donald Trump. 

In return, the US agreed to lift sanctions on Belarusian potash. Potash is a key component in fertilisers, and the former Soviet state is a leading global producer.

The prisoner release was by far the biggest by Lukashenko since Trump's administration opened talks this year with the veteran authoritarian leader, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Western governments had previously shunned him because of his crushing of dissent and backing for Russia's war in Ukraine.