March 10, Pozirk. John Coale, US special envoy for Belarus, will arrive in Lithuania on March 18 and is expected to visit Belarus as well, Delfi reports.
Visits by representatives of US President Donald Trump’s administration are typically followed by talks with Alaksandar Łukašenka and the release of groups of designated political prisoners. In return, some sanctions may be eased, as previously occurred with Biełavija and Biełaruśkalij.
Belarusian officials say that Minsk has been engaged in talks with Washington since mid-2024. Since then, the Belarusian ruler has pardoned about 350 imprisoned regime critics. In September and December 2025, he released two large groups of dissidents, including prominent opposition figures, as a result of talks with Coale. Łukašenka’s state security agencies bussed all the convicts out of Belarus.
Despite the pardons and the releases of hundreds of people upon completion of their terms, the overall number of political prisoners in Belarus does not change considerably, averaging 1,150 for many successive months. This proves that the government continues to persecute Łukašenka’s opponents.
As of March 10, human rights defenders had identified at least 1,139 political prisoners, but the real number is considerably higher because of many undocumented cases.
Belarus’ security agencies label more and more opposition and civil society organizations as “extremist” groups, broadening the scale of political reprisals.
