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Belarus has freed eight additional journalists as part of a broader release of 52 political prisoners, coinciding with the United States easing sanctions on the state-owned airline Belavia. The move follows earlier releases and reflects ongoing diplomatic engagement between Washington and Minsk.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomed the development, noting that the freed journalists had been unjustly imprisoned for years. “They shouldn’t have spent a day in jail,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. She urged Belarusian authorities to release all remaining media professionals held in retaliation for their work.
The latest release includes opposition leaders, trade unionists, and civil society activists, and comes after negotiations between President Alexander Lukashenko and U.S. special envoy John Coale. In exchange, the U.S. agreed to relax restrictions on Belavia’s access to aircraft parts.
Most of Belarus’s political prisoners were detained following the disputed 2020 presidential election, which drew widespread international criticism. Since then, the government has intensified its crackdown on independent media, expanded anti-extremism laws, and targeted journalists and activists.
Despite this partial reprieve, press freedom advocates remain concerned. CPJ recently condemned the sentencing of freelance reporter Aleh Supruniuk, while UN experts have called for investigations into deaths in custody. Reporters Without Borders continues to rank Belarus among the world’s most repressive environments for journalists.
The release signals incremental progress but underscores the persistent challenges faced by Belarus’s independent press.
Excerpts from jurist.org article by Ryan Huang | Lincoln Alexander School of Law, CA
