Lukashenko pardons 18 prisoners, including 15 political prisoners
The self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has signed a decree pardoning a group of people convicted of "extremist" crimes.
According to Lukashenko's press service, 11 women are among those released, six of whom have children, including those with disabilities. The list also includes a woman in late pregnancy and a person who committed an offense at the age of 16. Official sources emphasize that all the convicts submitted personal requests for pardon, which is a standard requirement of the Belarusian regime for such procedures.
The wave of pardons comes against the backdrop of long-term international efforts, including with the assistance of the United States, which previously led to the pardon of more than 120 people at the end of last year. Then, prominent figures of the Belarusian opposition, such as Maria Kolesnikova, Viktor Babaryko and Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatsky, were released, who later left the country. Despite the current move, human rights organizations emphasize that hundreds of people remain in Belarusian prisons, detained for protests against the regime, which remains a key ally of Russia. The further fate of the new group of pardoned people will depend on the conditions of their stay under supervision after their release from prison.
