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Syarhei Tsikhanouski was arrested shortly after announcing his candidacy in the rigged 2020 elections, won by Lukashenko.
One of the leaders of Belarus' opposition movement, Syarhei Tsikhanouski, has been released from prison after being pardoned after almost five years behind bars.
His wife, exiled politician Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, who took up the opposition cause after his imprisonment, released a video of him smiling and hugging her after his release.
The decision came hours after Donald Trump's special envoy, Keith Kellogg, visited Minsk and met with the authoritarian Belarusian leader, Alexander Lukashenko. In total, 14 Belarusian political prisoners were released today.
Tsikhanouski, a former blogger who stirred up anti-Lukashenko sentiment ahead of the rigged 2020 presidential election, was arrested shortly after announcing his candidacy.
He was sentenced to 18 years in prison after being accused of politically motivated incitement to hatred and social unrest.
Tsikhanouski's wife ran in his place and emerged as the opposition's main challenger before fleeing to Lithuania amid a widespread crackdown, where she has since led efforts to resist Lukashenko's regime.
"My husband… is free! It's hard to describe the joy in my heart," Tsikhanouskaya wrote on X.
She thanked Trump, Keith Kellogg and "all European allies" for their efforts to free her husband.
"We are not done yet. 1,150 political prisoners remain behind bars. All must be released ," she added.
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