Nobel laureates urge Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko to release all political prisoners

A group of 57 Nobel laureates, including former editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta Dmitry Muratov and Belarussian writer Svetlana Alexievich, have signed an open letter addressed to Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko calling for a political amnesty in Belarus.

The letter, which was published on the website of political scientist and Nobel prize winner Dmitry Bolkunets on Friday, called on Lukashenko to “show humanity and compassion by freeing all citizens recognised by human rights defenders as political prisoners.”

“You have a unique opportunity to turn the page on the past and enter history not only as an uncompromising ruler but also as a political leader who has shown wisdom and compassion,” the letter continued.

On 4 July, Lukashenko amnestied a political prisoner on health grounds, the first time he’s done so in the 30 years since he came to power. Shortly beforehand, he announced that soon “seriously ill people” would be released from prison, even those who “broke and destroyed the country in 2020” — a reference to the vast popular demonstrations against the regime that followed that year’s stolen election.

The letter thanked Lukashenko for beginning the “first steps towards the release of severely ill prisoners in Belarus”. According to the Viasna Human Rights Center, Belarus has already amnestied at least 18 prisoners so far.