Belarus dictator Lukashenko pardons 37 more political prisoners

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 37 political prisoners ahead of Belarusian Unity Day, the country’s state-owned news agency BELTA reported on Monday.

Quoting Lukashenko’s website, the agency said the prisoners being released had all been convicted on charges of extremism.

As with previous pardons announced by Lukashenko, no names have yet been given, though the statement made clear that six of those being pardoned were women, while some of those due to be released had chronic illnesses or disabilities or were pensioners.

Lukashenko’s website called the decree “another humane gesture on the part of the state towards those who had gone astray”.

The statement also said those covered by the decree, which was signed on Monday, had “repented and asked for the opportunity to get out of jail and mend their ways”.

Lukashenko has signed multiple pardons in recent months. He signed a decree pardoning 30 prisoners “convicted of crimes connected to protest” earlier this month, following another in mid-August. The first such amnesty saw the release of at least 18 political prisoners in early July.

Despite the spate of pardons, the Belarusian regime remains notorious for jailing its critics, a trend that became all the more pronounced following protests against the stolen 2020 presidential election. Many opposition politicians have disappeared into the prison system and continue to be denied access to lawyers or contact with their families.