Lukashenko pardoned 31 political prisoners

Author:
Oleksandra Opanasenko
Date:

The self-proclaimed president of Belarus Alexandr Lukashenko pardoned 31 people convicted of "extremist crimes."

This was reported by the Lukashenkoʼs press service.

Among those pardoned are 29 men and two women. Of them, 17 have chronic diseases, three are people with disabilities. 27 pardoned have children, and seven of them have many children.

They were released from the main punishment without removing the criminal record. They will then be monitored by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus. The names of the pardoned people are unknown.

Political prisoners in Belarus

In 2020-2021, large-scale protests against the Lukashenko regime took place in Belarus after the presidential elections. The protesters called for re-elections. Protests were brutally suppressed by security forces, the opposition reported at least eight deaths. Thousands of protesters and oppositionists were convicted, independent media and human rights defenders were also repressed.

In July 2024, the law on amnesty came into effect in Belarus, which covers certain categories of political prisoners. At the same time, the first releases of political prisoners from prison began.

At the end of July, Lukashenko pardoned German Red Cross employee Rico Krieger, sentenced to death. Subsequently, Russia and the West conducted a large-scale exchange of political prisoners and spies, including Krieger.

On September 4, Lukashenko signed another decree on pardoning protesters — 30 people were amnestied then.

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