Opposition politician credits sanctions for release of US nationals from Belarusian prisons

February 17, Pozirk. A senior Belarusian opposition politician has credited international sanctions for the release of several US nationals from prisons in Belarus in the last few weeks.

The US President Donald Trump’s new term in office opened up more opportunities, Franak Viačorka has told the Obychnoe Utro YouTube show, referring to last week’s visit by Christopher Smith, US deputy assistant secretary of state, to Minsk.

Sanctions hurt Alaksandar Łukašenka, while his insecurities keep growing as potential Ukraine peace talks loom large, Viačorka noted.

Smith met with the Belarusian strongman in Minsk, signaling a potential “grand bargain” that could involve the relaxation of sanctions in exchange for the release of a significant number of political prisoners, The New York Times reported on February 15.

In Belarus, Smith received three detainees—Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) journalist Andrej Kuźniečyk, opposition activist Alena Maŭšuk and an unnamed US national—and took them out of the country to Vilnius. 

In January, Minsk released Anastasia Nuhfer, an American, though the details of her case remain unclear.

The opposition may urge its international partners to soften certain sanctions if Minsk frees more political prisoners and ends repression, Viačorka said. “I think we will see in the next few weeks how the regime behaves,” he added.

On February 17, human rights defenders identified at least 1,219 political prisoners in Belarus but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.

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