Estonian political prisoner freed from Belarusian prison arrives in Tallinn

An Estonian political prisoner detained in Belarus was freed alongside 13 others in a U.S.-backed deal on Saturday and arrived back in Estonia the same evening.
Estonian citizen Allan Roio had been imprisoned since January 2024. The Belarusian regime suspected him of establishing an extremist organisation and sentenced him to six and a half years in prison along with a fine of nearly €6,000.
He arrived back in Estonia on Saturday evening and spoke to journalists upon his arrival at Tallinn Airport.
"The way prisoners are treated in Belarus is horrendous," Roio told journalists, adding that he intends to continue his work on human and prisoners' rights.
An ambulance was waiting to examine Roio, who was suffering from back pain and appeared to need additional support when walking, at the airport. He was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200.)

The Estonian was released from a Belarusian prison with the help of the diplomatic efforts of the United States, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Tsahkna said efforts for his release have lasted for almost 18 months.
"In January 2024, we received information that the Belarusian authorities had detained an Estonian citizen in Minsk. Since then, the embassy and our diplomats have been in constant contact with Roio and his family. I would like to thank President Donald Trump, Keith Kellogg, the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine, and his team, as well as all the US and Estonian diplomats and partners who worked determinedly and continuously to bring our citizen home," the minister said in a statement.
In September 2020, Roio founded the NGO Fund of Belarusian Friends in Estonia, aimed at collecting donations for people fleeing the Belarusian regime.
However, the NGO did not carry out any substantial activities and was removed from the business register a few months later, the ministry said in a statement. The NGO was established on Estonian territory following Estonian legislation.

The sudden release came as U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg visited Minsk on Saturday and held a meeting with Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.
In total, 14 political prisoners were released on Saturday and transported to Lithuania. This included Belarusian, Polish, Latvian, Swedish and Japanese citizens alongside Roio.
"They are now safe in Lithuania and are receiving proper care," said Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys in a post on social media.
The most notable was Siarhei Tsikhanouski, husband of Belarusian democratic opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who had been imprisoned since 2020.
"This is a significant victory for the Belarusian opposition, but we must not forget that the current regime continues to hold thousands of political prisoners," Tsahkna said. "We call on the Belarusian regime to immediately and unconditionally end the repression of its people and to release all political prisoners."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly advises against travel to Belarus and urges Estonian citizens currently in the country to return Estonia, if possible.
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Editor: Helen Wright