Belarus dictator Lukashenko pardons 30 more unnamed political prisoners

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 30 more prisoners “convicted of crimes connected to protest”, his press service announced on Wednesday.

The list includes 7 women and 23 men, most of whom are parents of children under 18, the statement said, though it did not name those Lukashenko pardoned.

Describing the move as “a humane gesture” that would give the former prisoners “a chance to return to normal life, family and work”, Lukashenko’s press service stressed that all the prisoners had petitioned Lukashenko for a pardon and had “sincerely repented and promised to lead a law-abiding life”.

In mid-August, a similar announcement was made by state news agency BELTA when Lukashenko pardoned 30 political prisoners, some of whom were suffering from serious health conditions.

Franak Viachorka, chief political advisor to exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsihanouskaya, told independent media outlet IStories at the time that those 30 pardons included people who had already been released in July and August. Belarusian human rights centre Viasna has since named six of them.

The Belarusian regime is known for jailing its critics, a trend that became all the more pronounced following protests against the stolen 2020 presidential election. Viasna estimates that Belarus has at least 1,371 political prisoners, while thousands more have fled the country to avoid prosecution.

The Lukashenko regime often creates unbearable conditions in Belarusian prisons for political prisoners, forcing them to admit guilt in order to apply for a pardon, Belarusian human rights activist Pavel Sapelka told Viasna. “This is cynically exploited by the Belarusian authorities for propagandist purposes: innocent people are forced to appeal to the dictator for their release,” Sapelka added.

The fate of many political prisoners jailed in Belarus is unknown, as is the case with protest leader Maria Kalesnikava, who has had no contact with her family for nearly a year, as prison staff reportedly have been tearing letters sent to Kalesnikava by her family up in front of her since October.