Belarus frees 123 prisoners, including Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski, as US lifts sanctions on its potash industry

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has freed 123 prisoners, including opposition leader Maria Kalesnikava and Nobel Peace Prize-winning rights activist Ales Bialiatski, rights groups and state media reported on Saturday (Dec 13), after a US envoy earlier stated that Washington was lifting sanctions on Belarusian potassium.

"The head of state has decided to pardon 123 citizens of various countries," the Belarusian state news agency Belta said, as reported by AFP.

Novel laureate Bialiatski's Viasna celebrated the release of their leader after 1,613 days "Ales Bialiatski is free!" the Viasna rights group said in a post on social media, adding he was being deported to Lithuania after 1,613 days in prison.

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The release of prisoners comes following a deal reached between Belarus, a key ally of Russian President Putin, and the United States for lifting the sanctions imposed on its potash industry by the Biden Administration, citing the human rights abuses and for letting Moscow use its territory against Ukraine in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Belarus has faced Western sanctions for years, citing the poor human rights record of President Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for more than 30 years.

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However, the United States signalled a thaw in ties after it lifted sanctions on the Potash industry, and the US envoy to Belarus said that normalising the relationship between Washington and Minsk is a priority.

“We’re lifting sanctions, releasing prisoners. We’re constantly talking to each other,” he said, according to Belta.