Overview

• Sergej Tichanowski was released on June 21 after five years in prison, alongside 13 fellow political detainees pardoned by President Lukashenko.
• The pardon followed a direct appeal from President Trump and coincided with US envoy Keith Kellogg’s talks in Minsk with Alexander Lukashenko.
• Tichanowski revealed he endured prolonged isolation and forced feeding before his release, underscoring persistent human rights violations.
• Swetlana Tichanowskaja, Tichanowski’s wife, continues to lead the exiled opposition from Vilnius and has urged the release of more than 1,100 remaining political prisoners.
• The US and European Union maintain sanctions on Belarus over its suppression of dissent and support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.