In a significant development from Belarus, Sergey Tikhanovsky, a prominent opposition figure and the husband of exiled leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, has been released from prison. His freedom follows a rare visit to Minsk by a senior United States official, according to an announcement made by Tikhanovskaya’s team on Saturday.
Tikhanovsky, a popular blogger and activist, had been incarcerated since 2020. He arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania, accompanied by 13 other individuals who were also political prisoners. This wave of releases occurred just hours after Belarusian authorities confirmed that authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko had met with Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump’s envoy for Ukraine, in Minsk.
A video shared on Svetlana Tikhanovskaya’s official Telegram channel captured the moment of Tikhanovsky’s arrival. Sporting a shaved head and a broad smile, he disembarked a white minibus and was greeted by a long embrace from his wife, while supporters applauded.
Reacting to her husband’s release, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya expressed immense joy but also underscored the ongoing struggle. “My husband is free. It’s difficult to describe the joy in my heart,” she told reporters. However, she emphasized that her team’s mission is far from complete, with over 1,100 political prisoners still held in detention across Belarus.
Background: Tikhanovsky’s Arrest and the 2020 Election
Sergey Tikhanovsky was initially jailed after declaring his intention to run against Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election. Following his arrest, his wife, Svetlana, stepped in to contest the election in his place, drawing large crowds and significant support across the country. The official results, which awarded Lukashenko his sixth term, were widely condemned by the opposition and Western nations as fraudulent.
The disputed election outcome triggered unprecedented mass protests throughout Belarus. Amidst the ensuing crackdown, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was compelled to leave the country under pressure from the authorities. Sergey Tikhanovsky was subsequently sentenced to a lengthy 19 1/2 years in prison on charges of organizing mass riots, charges his supporters maintain were politically motivated.
Other Prominent Political Prisoners Remain Jailed
Despite this significant release, many leading dissidents continue to be held in Belarusian jails. These include:
Ales Bialiatski: A Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights advocate currently serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges widely viewed as politically motivated.
Viktor Babaryka: A former banker who was considered a primary electoral challenger to Lukashenko in 2020.
- Maria Kolesnikova: A charismatic figure who played a key role in the mass protests of 2020.
Journalist and NGO Head Also Freed
Among the 13 other individuals released alongside Tikhanovsky were Ihar Karnei, a long-serving correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), as confirmed by the US government-funded broadcaster. Karnei, who has also worked with prominent Belarusian and Russian news outlets, had been serving a three-year sentence based on extremism charges that he denied as fabricated.
RFE/RL’s Belarusian service has been officially designated as extremist in the country, a label frequently applied to critics of the Lukashenko government. This designation criminalizes working for the outlet or disseminating its content.
Stephen Capus, CEO of RFE/RL, issued a press release stating, “We are deeply grateful to President Trump for securing the release of this brave journalist, who suffered at the hands of the Belarusian authorities.”
Karnei had faced detention multiple times while covering the 2020 protests but chose to remain in Belarus despite increasing repression. He was arrested again in July 2023 during a police raid on his apartment, where phones and computers were seized.
Additionally, Belarus released an Estonian national, Allan Roio, who had founded an NGO dedicated to raising funds for Belarusian refugees. According to the Estonian Foreign Ministry, Roio was detained in January of the previous year and sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison on charges related to establishing an extremist organization.
