Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty announced on Wednesday that its veteran journalist Andrey Kuznechyk was freed from Belarus today after more than three years behind bars. In June 2022, following a trial that lasted no more than a few hours, Belarusian authorities sentenced Kuznechyk to six years in prison for “creating or participating in an extremist organization.”
In a statement on Wednesday, RFE/RL said:
This is a joyous day for Andrey, his wife, and their two young children. After more than three years apart, this family is together again thanks to President Trump. We are also grateful to Secretary Rubio and his team, and to the Lithuanian government for their support. We remain hopeful that our journalist Ihar Losik will also be released and look to the Trump administration for its continued leadership and guidance.
A day earlier, Russia released U.S. teacher Marc Fogel. In exchange, American officials plan to release convicted Russian cybercriminal Alexander Vinnik.
Update: Belarusian officials also released Yelena Movshuk and an unnamed U.S. citizen. A mother of five, Movshuk was arrested in August 2020 and sentenced in April 2021 to six years in prison for alleged “acts of aggression” against the state. The same day she was sentenced, Movshuk’s husband was also imprisoned for six and a half years.
