Belarus releases 123 prisoners, including Nobel laureate Bialiatski, in exchange for relief from US sanctions.

Belarusian authorities have released Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski and key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova from prison, Pavel Sapelka, a human rights defender with the human rights group Viasna, confirmed to the AP.

His release comes as authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko seeks to improve relations with Washington. Earlier on Saturday, the United States announced the lifting of sanctions on the country’s potash sector. In exchange for sanctions relief, Lukashenko pardoned 123 prisoners, state news agency Belta reported.

Minsk, a close ally of Russia, has faced Western isolation and sanctions for years. Lukashenko has ruled this nation of 9.5 million people with an iron fist for more than three decades, and the country has been repeatedly sanctioned by Western countries both for its crackdown on human rights and for allowing Moscow to use its territory in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Belarus has released hundreds of prisoners since July 2024.

Earlier Saturday, the United States said it would lift sanctions on Belarusian potash in the latest sign of a thaw between Washington and the isolated autocracy.

John Coale, US special envoy to Belarus, made the announcement after meeting with Lukashenko in Minsk on Friday and Saturday.

Speaking to reporters, Coale described the two-day talks as “very productive,” Belarus’ state news agency Belta reported Saturday.

The US envoy said normalizing relations between Washington and Minsk was “our goal.”

“We are lifting sanctions, releasing prisoners. We constantly talk to each other,” he said, according to Belta. He also said the relationship between the countries was moving from “small steps to safer steps” as they increased dialogue.

The last time US officials met with Lukashenko in September 2025, Washington announced an easing of some sanctions against Belarus, while Minsk released more than 50 political prisoners in Lithuania. In total, Belarus has released more than 430 political prisoners since July 2024, in what was widely seen as a rapprochement effort with the West.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told The News on Saturday that the sanctions relief was part of an agreement between Minsk and Washington, under which another large group of political prisoners in Belarus was expected to be released.

“The release of political prisoners means that Lukashenko understands the pain of Western sanctions and seeks to alleviate them,” Tsikhanouskaya said.

He added: “But let’s not be naïve: Lukashenko has not changed his policies, his repression continues, and he continues to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. That is why we must be extremely cautious with any talk of sanctions relief, so as not to reinforce Russia’s war machine and encourage continued repressions.”

Tsikhnouskaya also described the European Union’s sanctions against Belarusian potash fertilizers as much more painful for Minsk than those imposed by the United States, and said that while easing US sanctions could lead to the release of political prisoners, European sanctions should spur long-term systemic changes in Belarus and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The latest round of discussions also addressed Venezuela, as well as the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belta said.

Coale told reporters that Lukashenko had given “good advice” on how to approach the conflict, saying that Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin were “long-standing friends” with “the necessary level of relationship to discuss such issues.”

“Naturally, President Putin may accept some advice and not others,” Coale said.