Lukashenko amnestied 30 political prisoners imprisoned for protests in 2020

The President of Belarus, Oleksandr Lukashenko, signed a decree granting amnesty to 30 political prisoners who were convicted for participating in mass protests after the 2020 presidential elections. As reported by Lukashenka’s press service, there are 7 women and 23 men among those amnestied.
The statement said it was a “humane gesture” that would allow those released to return to normal life, reunite with their families and return to work. Special attention was paid to the fact that many of the amnestied have minor children, and this factor became one of the determining factors in making the decision.
The amnesty procedure was carried out by a specially created “commission for the return of fugitives”, which is headed by Prosecutor General Andrei Shved. According to the commission, all amnesties have passed a thorough check. The press service emphasizes that the behavior of those released will be closely monitored by law enforcement agencies, in particular the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in order to guarantee their “law obedience” in the future.
Lukashenko previously promised to pardon political prisoners suffering from cancer, including politician Ryhor Kostusyov, journalist Ksenia Lutskina and others. As of now, there is no information whether any of these prisoners were amnestied as part of the latest decree.
Despite the announced amnesty, human rights organizations, in particular “Vyasna”, emphasize that 1,403 political prisoners are still held in Belarusian prisons. Among them are activists, journalists, opposition politicians and other citizens who have been convicted for participating in protests against the Lukashenko regime after the 2020 elections.