Lukashenko to Release Seriously Ill Oppositionists

Alexander Lukashenko said that seriously ill Belarusian oppositionists who took part in protests in 2020 could be released in the coming days.

"Don't be surprised if in a few days, very seriously ill people are released, as they write, ours, who did not manage to escape and are in places so remote, who broke and destroyed the country in 2020. But these are, indeed, seriously ill people," RIA Novosti reports Lukashenko as saying.

According to him, we are talking about convicts with oncology. Lukashenko did not name specific names.

The presidential elections held on August 9, 2020, in which, according to the Belarusian Central Electoral Commission, Lukashenko received more than 80% of the votes, were called rigged by the opposition. Then protests began in the country, which lasted for about six months. The largest ones took place in Minsk.

Soon after the protests began, some opposition leaders and protesters were arrested and later convicted. Lukashenko's remaining opponents were forced into exile.

According to the human rights project Viasna, as of the end of May 2024, at least 254 political prisoners in Belarus are at risk. Among them, 16 people have disabilities, and 91 people are in serious condition. Another 65 prisoners are over 60 years old. The project notes that many of them also have serious health problems, and ten have been diagnosed with mental disorders.

To get the main news faster, subscribe to our telegram and twitter .