Lithuanian leaders have pledged continued support for Belarus’s democratic opposition after the release of 123 political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, over the weekend.
President Gitanas Nausėda met Bialiatski in Vilnius on Monday shortly after his arrival from Belarus, describing the Belarussian dissident's release as a moment of great relief after years of unjust imprisonment.
“Your endurance, moral strength and unbreakable commitment to human dignity – even in the darkest hours – inspire us all,” the president said, according to a statement from his office.
Speaking a few hours after his release, Bialiatski said the European Union should begin negotiations with Minsk aimed at securing the freedom of those still detained, and vowed to continue the fight for democracy in Belarus from exile.
President Nausėda said Lithuania would continue to back US efforts to secure the release of all Belarusian political prisoners, while insisting that the authorities in Minsk must end political repression, hold free and fair elections and stop supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine.
He also accused Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of seeking to break international isolation and ease sanctions through hybrid actions against Lithuania, including the use of smugglers’ weather balloons. Lithuania, he said, would not give in to what he described as the regime’s blackmail.
Bialiatski was among 123 political prisoners freed on Saturday, nine of whom were released via Lithuania and the remainder via Ukraine. Others released include opposition figures Viktar Babaryka, a former presidential candidate, and Maria Kalesnikava.
Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said she had spoken by phone with several of the newly released prisoners, including Kalesnikava, Babaryka and opposition figure Maksim Znak.
“I wished them strength, endurance and courage, and promised to remain in contact and continue supporting their fight for freedom,” she wrote on Facebook. “These are people who have paid for the idea of freedom with their personal liberty, but have not given up.”
The prime minister also thanked US President Donald Trump, his administration and special envoy John Coale for their role in securing the prisoners’ release, calling it a sign of hope for Belarusians who believe justice will ultimately prevail. She later noted that more than 1,100 people remain illegally imprisoned in Belarus.
It was announced over the weekend that Washington intends to lift sanctions on Belarusian potash exports in exchange for the release of political prisoners. Lithuania’s deputy foreign minister Audra Plepytė said on Monday that US sanctions had not yet been lifted and stressed that the move would not affect existing EU measures, which Brussels plans to extend at Lithuania’s urging.
Following earlier US-Belarus talks, more than 60 prisoners were released in June and September, including six Lithuanian citizens.
Belarus has been ruled by Alexander Lukashenko since 1994. All opposition movements are banned, and it remains the only country in Europe that still applies the death penalty.
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