June 14, Pozirk. Opposition politician Pavieł Łatuška said Alaksandar Łukašenka appeared to rule out further releases of jailed dissidents unless the European Union eases sanctions on Minsk, citing talks with a French representative in late May.
Łatuška made this statement yesterday on his YouTube channel, arguing that recent developments offered no evidence that Łukašenka was prepared to change the “fundamentals of his dictatorial policy.”
Emmanuel Macron reportedly warned Łukašenka against involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine during a phone call on May 24. A few days later, the Belarusian ruler announced that a French representative would visit Minsk on June 1 or 2 for talks.
However, the visit took place earlier, as Nicolas Lerner, head of France’s Directorate-General for External Security, was in Minsk in the last week of May, a source who wished to remain anonymous told Pozirk.
Belarusian authorities periodically release groups of jailed dissidents in exchange for sanctions relief as part of negotiations with the visiting US diplomats.
As of June 14, human rights defenders identified at least 860 political prisoners in Belarus, but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.
