Belarus pardons key opposition activist, among 123 prisoners, in exchange for US sanction relief

Belarus has pardoned 123 prisoners, including a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a key opposition figure who challenged the presidential elections in 2020, in exchange for US sanctions relief.

Human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski and Maria Kolesnikova, a key figure in the mass protests that rocked the country in 2020, were among those released. Earlier on Saturday, the Trump administration confirmed that the US was lifting sanctions on Belarus's potash sector after officials held two days of talks in Minsk.

John Coale, US special envoy for Belarus, also hinted that around 1,000 remaining political prisoners in Belarus could be released in the coming months as authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia, seeks to improve relations with Washington. Separately, Ukraine confirmed it had received 114 prisoners released by Belarus.

The other nine were received by Lithuania. Ms Kolesnikova, 43, known for her close-cropped hair and trademark gesture of forming a heart with her hands, was one of dozens of released prisoners who arrived in Ukraine by coach on Saturday.

"Of course, this feeling is incredible happiness," she said in a video released on X from the Military Intelligence of Ukraine. "At the same time, of course, I think about those people who are not yet free.

I am very much looking forward to the moment when we can all hug each other, when we can all see one another, when we will all be free," she added. Ms Kolesnikova became a symbol of resistance when Belarusian authorities tried to deport her to Ukraine in September 2020.

She broke away from security forces at the border, tore up her passport and walked back into Belarus. The professional flautist was convicted in 2021 on charges including conspiracy to seize power and sentenced to 11 years in prison, but then fell seriously ill and underwent surgery.

Mr Bialiatski, 63, who founded Viasna, Belarus' oldest and most prominent human rights group, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 while awaiting trial for charges which were widely regarded as politically motivated. After arriving in Lithuania, he spoke briefly to crowds outside the US embassy in Vilnius and said in English: "Never give up".

He was seen by authorities as especially dangerous because of what Belarus alleged were his "extremist tendencies". Sentenced to 10 years in 2023, he had been held at a penal colony in Gorki, notorious for beatings and hard labour, and his health was deteriorating, according to his wife.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee expressed "profound relief and heartfelt joy" at the release of Mr Bialiatski and called on the Belarusian authorities "to release all political prisoners". Read more from Sky News:Venezuelan oil exports 'at standstill'Far right 'emboldened' in AustraliaThailand-Cambodia fighting continues Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who is an opposition leader in exile and a close ally of Ms Kolesnikova, posted her delight on X: "Maria is free!" She added: "For five years, we fought for Maria Kolesnikova's freedom.

I am deeply grateful to the US administration and our European partners who worked tirelessly to secure her release. "Maria is in a safe place, and we hope to hear from her soon." Ukrainian officials said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had also spoken to Ms Kolesnikova after her release, although they have not released any more details.

In a statement published on the Telegram social media platform, the Military Intelligence of Ukraine confirmed more details of who had been released, including people "imprisoned for political reasons". Among the group were Viktar Babaryka, a former banker jailed in 2021 after challenging Mr Lukashenko at the polls, and journalist Maryna Zolatava, who was imprisoned in 2023 on a range of charges including harming national security.

Critics argue both sentences were politically motivated. President Lukashenko has ruled the nation with an iron fist for more than three decades, but has been repeatedly sanctioned by Western countries both for its crackdown on human rights and for allowing Moscow to use its territory in the invasion of Ukraine.

Following the two-day talks, US envoy John Coale posted on X: "Another 156 political prisoners released thanks to President Trump's leadership! An important step in US-Belarus relations." It is not clear whether the figure includes previously released prisoners. Speaking to the Reuters news agency on Saturday, Mr Coale said around 1,000 remaining political prisoners in Belarus could be released in the coming months.

"I think it's more than possible that we can do that, I think it's probable... We are on the right track, the momentumis there." US officials eased some sanctions after meeting with President Lukashenko in September 2025.

In response, Minsk freed more than 50 political prisoners into Lithuania, taking the total number freed by Belarus since July 2024 to more than 430. Mr Coale also spoke about weather balloons which have flying over the border from Belarus into Lithuania.

"He [Mr Lukashenko] agreed recently to do everything he could to stop the balloons," Mr Coale told the Reuters news agency. Lithuania has declared a state of emergency over the balloons, used by cigarette smugglers, which have caused over a dozen closures of Vilnius airport in recent months..