Estonia highlights Belarus' political arrests, calls for release of all prisoners
Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) welcomed the release of more than 100 political prisoners from Belarusian jails, but stressed new arrests are taking place every day.
Belarus freed 123 prisoners on Saturday, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski and prominent opposition activists Maria Kolesnikova and Viktor Babaryko, after the U.S. agreed to lift potash sanctions on the country.
The majority of the prisoners were taken to Ukraine and will continue to Poland and Lithuania after receiving medical treatment, the BBC reported.
Tsahkna welcomed the release. However, he added: "New arrests take place every day, more than 1,200 people remain jailed for political reasons. Every political prisoner must be freed."
We welcome the release of 123 Belarusian political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, opposition leaders Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka, and Latvian citizen Alla Sokolenko.
— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) December 13, 2025
But new arrests take place every day, more than 1200 people remain…
Thousands of people have been arrested by the Belarusian regime following a violent crackdown after the 2020 presidential elections, which returned Aleksandr Lukashenko to power.
Estonia and the Baltics sanctioned politicians and others connected to the violent treatment of protestors. Lukashenko is not recognised as president by the EU.
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Editor: Helen Wright
