Belarus released opposition figure Tikhanovsky from prison amid Kellogg’s visit. PHOTOS
On 21 June, 14 political prisoners were released in Belarus, including opposition leader Sergey Tikhanovsky, amid a visit by US Special Representative Keith Kellogg to Alexander Lukashenko. He had been behind bars for more than five years.
This was reported by the Belarusian edition Nasha Niva, Censor.NET reports.
It is noted that Tikhanovsky's release was made possible by a visit to Minsk by Donald Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg.
According to Nasha Niva, the released political prisoner has already left the territory of Belarus.
Kirill Balakhonov, 21, who was sentenced to 3.5 years for participating in a closed chat room with five members, which was recognised as an extremist group in Belarus, was also released.
The newspaper reports on the release of 69-year-old Belarusian woman Galina Krasnyanskaya, who also holds Swedish citizenship.
Natalia Dulina, a former associate professor of the Minsk State Linguistic University, is also among those dismissed.
Igor Losik, a Belarusian opposition blogger who was imprisoned in 2020 for "preparing to participate in mass disorder", was released from prison. Belarusian human rights organisations have recognised him as a political prisoner.
Radio Liberty journalist Igor Karney was also released. He was convicted in March 2024 for "participation in extremist organisations" - Karnei had been working with the Belarusian Association of Journalists, which Lukashenka's regime had declared "extremist".
Reference
Sergey Tikhanovsky is a well-known Belarusian video blogger, opposition activist and one of the key figures in the events of 2020. His wife Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya became the leader of the Belarusian opposition after his detention and imprisonment.
He started his activities in 2019. In 2020, he announced that he would run for president. He was arrested before the start of the election campaign and was unable to submit his documents.
Unrecognised President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko publicly stated that Sergey Tikhanovsky was arrested on his orders. He accused Tikhanovski of attempting to allegedly organise the 'Maidan' in Belarus.
In December 2021, Sergey Tikhanovsky was sentenced to 18 years in a maximum security colony for "organising mass riots" and "obstructing the work of the Central Election Commission".
In Ukraine, Sergey Tykhanovsky is included in the Myrotvorets database for visiting the temporarily occupied Crimea in violation of Ukrainian law in 2017, namely not through the crossing between Crimea and Kherson region.
