May 1, Pozirk. Juraś Ziankovič, a Belarusian politician and lawyer with US citizenship, was released yesterday at the request of United States President Donald Trump, Natalla Ejsmant, Alaksandar Łukašenka’s spokeswoman, has told Russia’s RIA Novosti.
Earlier, American journalist Greta Van Susteren, whose husband John Coale serves as Trump’s deputy Ukraine envoy, posted on X the photo of freed Ziankovič taken at the US Embassy in Vilnius. The US diplomat went to Belarus to take Ziankovič out, she said.
Media reported on Ziankovič’s release yesterday evening. In September 2022, he was given 11 years in prison for alleged conspiracy to assassinate Łukašenka and later given two more years on disobedience charges.
Last year, Ziankovič asked Łukašenka to pardon him and let him go to the US. He also appealed to Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, who were running for president at that time, to help him return to the US as soon as possible.
Earlier this year, Minsk released former RFE/RL journalist Andrej Kuźniečyk, protester Alena Maŭšuk and US citizen Nikolay Shugaev. All three left Belarus upon their release with the help of US diplomats.
