Lukashenko pardons 16 convicts, including for “extremist crimes”

The self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko pardoned 16 people convicted of various crimes, including "extremist" ones.

This is stated on the website of Lukashenkoʼs press service.

Among those pardoned are eight women and eight men. Three of them are over 50 years old. Two have chronic diseases, one has a disability. Nine convicts have minor children.

Lukashenko does not name the names of those pardoned, but the article on extremism has often been used against opposition figures. In particular, opposition figures Maria Kolesnikova and Maksym Znak were accused of “creating an extremist group” and received 10 and 11 years in prison, respectively.

In total, as of July 2, 1 164 people were recognized as political prisoners in Belarus.

• On June 21, opposition figure Serhiy Tikhanovsky, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison, and other political prisoners were released in Belarus.

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