Several figures in the Belarusian opposition, including opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski, were freed from jail on Saturday under a deal brokered U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg.
Tsikhanouski’s wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition activist who stood in the 2020 Belarusian elections after the arrest of her husband, posted a video on X on Saturday showing her embracing Tsikhanouski and thanking U.S. authorities.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pardoned a number of prisoners after meeting with Kellogg earlier in the week, according to media reports. Tsikhanouvski was an influential blogger before becoming the leading opposition candidate challenging Lukashenko in the 2020 elections. He had been in jail since May 2020.