After the lifting of US sanctions on Belkali, Lukashenko released human rights activist Ales Byalyatsky, Maria Kolesnikova, Viktor Babariko and 120 other political prisoners from prison
Lukashenko pardoned 123 political prisoners. Moreover, among them are Ales Bialiatski , human rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Maria Kolesnikova , leader of a peaceful protest against the fraud of the 2020 presidential elections in Belarus. The release of political prisoners was confirmed by the team of independent ex-presidential candidate Viktor Babariko, whose headquarters was headed by Kolesnikova, and the Belarusian human rights movement “Viasna”.