Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree granting amnesty to 123 people, the Telegram channel “Pul Pervogo” reported. “The head of state decided to pardon 123 citizens of various countries convicted under the laws of the Republic of Belarus for committing various crimes – espionage, terrorism and extremism,” the article said. The decision to pardon was made at the request of US President Donald Trump and in response to the lifting of sanctions on Belarusian potassium, as well as to stabilize the situation in Europe and “is based on humanitarian principles as well as universal and family values”. On December 12 and 13, negotiations between White House special envoy John Cole and Lukashenko took place. They discussed the situation surrounding Ukraine and Venezuela, as well as ways to normalize bilateral relations. As a result of the meeting, the United States lifted sanctions against Belaruskali, introduced in 2021. People released from prison According to Pool, Belarusian authorities recently pardoned 156 people, among them citizens of the United Kingdom, the United States, Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, Australia and Japan. According to Reuters, among those released today are opposition supporters Maria Kolesnikova, Ales Bialiatsky and Viktor Babariko. Nine people pardoned in Belarus are currently in Lithuania, among them, notably Bialiatsky, Reuters reported citing the US Embassy in Lithuania. “Ales Bialiatski and eight other prisoners were in Lithuania after their release in Belarus on Saturday, while a larger group was taken to Ukraine,” the agency said. Earlier, his wife told AFP that Byalyatsky was traveling to Lithuania. The Ukrainian coordination headquarters on prisoner of war issues said Belarus had handed over 114 people to Ukraine. “Today, an event was organized between Ukraine and Belarus aimed at returning civilians… 114 civilians were transferred to Ukraine, among them were Ukrainians detained on Belarusian territory,” the headquarters reported on the Telegram channel. Published photos show Kolesnikova and Babariko. Polish-born journalist, activist of the Union of Poles in Belarus Andrzej Poczobut, whose release Warsaw has been seeking for several years, has refused to leave the country, a representative of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs told RIA Novosti. “We know that the condition for Andrzej Poczobut's amnesty is that he will immediately leave Belarusian territory. He refused to accept this condition, and the Belarusian regime in response refused to release him,” the diplomat said. “We respect his decision and will continue to seek his release,” he added. On November 22, Lukashenko signed a decree pardoning 31 Ukrainian citizens serving sentences for criminal offenses in the republic. On September 16, the President of Belarus pardoned 25 prisoners, including those convicted of extremism. Who is Kolesnikova and Babariko Kolesnikova is a professional flautist and conductor. Until the end of the 2010s, she actively performed concert activities and organized international cultural projects in Belarus and Germany. In 2017, she took the position of artistic director of the Ok16 cultural center, organized with the sponsorship of Viktor Babariko, a Belarusian banker and philanthropist, chairman of the board of directors of Belgazprombank, controlled by Russia's Gazprom. In May 2020, Kolesnikova headed the election campaign headquarters of Babariko, who decided to run for president of Belarus and is considered one of Lukashenko's main political opponents. After Babariko was denied registration and arrested for bribery, Kolesnikova cooperated with associates of other independent presidential candidates. After the election of the head of state and subsequent protests in Belarus, she headed the opposition's coordination council. On July 6, 2021, Babariko was convicted of accepting bribes on a particularly large scale. The Belarusian Supreme Court sentenced him to 14 years in prison. In the fall of the same year, Kolesnikova was convicted of plotting to seize power, forming an extremist group and publicly calling for a seizure of power. The case was considered behind closed doors, and Kolesnikova was sentenced to 11 years under general regime.
