Belarusian human rights group Viasna said before Thursday's announcement there were more than 1,100 political prisoners in the country. Bloggers, activists, journalists and protesters were also among those released after talks in the Belarusian capital Minsk between Lukashenko and John Coale, an envoy for U.S. President Donald Trump. US-Belarus NegotiationsCoale told Reuters he expected all remaining political prisoners to be released by the end of this year. Lukashenko was told on Thursday to cease arresting more political prisoners, said Coale: "Hopefully, we made an impression on him that this is not okay behaviour". "This was a pretty contentious negotiation over the last few months to keep the people in their home country", Coale told Reuters.

Source: The Guardian March 19, 2026 14:19 UTC