VILNIUS: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s government has freed 52 political prisoners, his Lithuanian counterpart said on Thursday, crediting US efforts to secure their release.
President Gitanas Nauseda wrote on X that “52 prisoners safely crossed the Lithuanian border from Belarus today,” including six Lithuanians, saying he was “deeply grateful” for Washington and President Donald Trump’s involvement.
According to the state news agency Belta, 14 with foreign citizenship were among those freed — six Lithuanians, two Latvians, two Poles, two Germans, one French national and a Briton.
Trump has pushed Belarus to free political prisoners in contacts with Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who has ruled since 1994, stamping out free media and political opposition.
Nauseda urged further prisoner releases, saying: “More than 1,000 political prisoners still remain in Belarusian prisons and we cannot stop until they see freedom!“
