Skip to main content

Belarus to free 25 political prisoners in exchange for U.S. lifting sanctions on two companies

Source: Zerkalo

The United States will lift sanctions on two Belarusian companies — Lakokraska and Bellesbumprom — John Coale, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, said after talks in Minsk. Pul Pervogo, a Telegram channel close to Alexander Lukashenko, carried his remarks.

Belarus will release 25 prisoners “as a goodwill gesture,” Coale said, without specifying who would be released.

“We will continue to improve US-Belarus relations and are working to secure the release of more people in the very near future. We are not finished!” Coale later posted on X.

John Coale traveled to Minsk on September 15 for talks with Alexander Lukashenko, after first stopping in Vilnius to meet with Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys. The two discussed efforts to free political prisoners in Belarus and the security situation in the region.

In late August, Coale said the United States had already secured the release of 500 prisoners in Belarus, while Lukashenko had pardoned another 200 people.

At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.

If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].

To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.