Trump called on Belarusian President Lukashenko to release more political prisoners following the freeing of 16 in July, but Lukashenko angrily dismissed the demand, accusing the West of expecting Belarus to set free “bandits” involved in violence.
The issue of political prisoners’ release
On August 22, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko gave an interview to China Media Group and Belarusian media, addressing the release of political prisoners held in Belarusian prisons. Several days earlier, he had discussed the matter with Donald Trump, who then thanked Lukashenko for freeing 16 political prisoners in July and urged the release of an additional 1,300.
Lukashenko speaks out on prisoners
“Do you want 1.5 or 2 thousand? Take them. Are you expecting us to free criminals who set fires and detonated bombs? We will release them, but they will fight against us again. Here, society will not support me,” Lukashenko said when asked about releasing political prisoners. He also added that previous releases were at the request of the United States.
Why is Belarus releasing political prisoners?
The Belarus regime is seeking to soften American sanctions related to its involvement in the war on Ukraine, according to Svetlana Cichanouskaya, a leader of the Belarusian opposition released in June. In recent months, 30 people have been freed from custody. Over the past year, Lukashenko has released more than 200 individuals from prisons and detention centers, primarily those who are ill or elderly. Despite this, over 1,150 political prisoners remain in Belarusian jails, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Alyaksandr Bialiatski and Polish minority activist Andrzej Poczobut.
Source: Gazeta, https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/bialorus#anchorLink
