On September 11, 2025, the political landscape in Eastern Europe shifted as Belarus released 52 political prisoners in a deal orchestrated with the United States. The move, which included the freeing of high-profile activists, journalists, and foreign nationals, was met with a mix of cautious optimism, skepticism, and outright criticism from across the globe. For many, it was a moment of relief; for others, it was a stark reminder of the ongoing repression under President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime.
The release was not an isolated gesture. According to BBC and AP, it formed the centerpiece of a broader agreement between Belarus and the US, brokered after direct talks between Lukashenko and US President Donald Trump. In exchange for the prisoners’ freedom, the US agreed to ease some sanctions on Belarus’s national airline, Belavia, allowing the carrier to buy spare parts for its planes—a significant concession for a nation squeezed by years of Western economic pressure.
Among those freed was Julia Fenner, a UK-Belarus dual citizen and the wife of a British diplomat. Fenner had been detained on the Belarusian border in March 2024 and was sentenced to a lengthy prison term only last month. Her release was celebrated in the UK, with Europe Minister Stephen Doughty calling it “great news that a British national has been brought home” and hailing the development as “a significant breakthrough.” Human rights groups such as Charter 97 and Spring 96 had recognized Fenner as a political prisoner, and her case had drawn international attention.
But Fenner was just one among a diverse group set free. The 52 included trade union leaders, journalists, and activists—many of whom had languished in prison since the government’s brutal crackdown on protests following the disputed 2020 presidential election. The opposition and international observers widely condemned that vote as rigged, and Lukashenko’s regime responded with mass arrests and harsh sentences. According to Human Rights Watch and the Viasna Human Rights Centre, more than 1,000 political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, even after this latest release. Some estimates, as reported by Devdiscourse and BBC, put the number closer to 1,300 as of September 2025.
Notably, the agreement came at a tense moment for the region. The release coincided with the start of Zapad-2025, joint military exercises between Belarus and Russia. The drills, which run through September 16, have prompted Poland to close its borders with Belarus and Latvia to restrict its airspace, moves that Russia’s foreign ministry quickly condemned as “confrontational steps.” The timing of the deal—on the eve of these exercises—added a layer of geopolitical intrigue. As AP reported, the day before the release, Poland denounced an incursion of Russian drones into its territory, some of which originated from Belarus. NATO jets were scrambled in response, underscoring the region’s volatility.
For President Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994 and maintained a close alliance with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, the prisoner release was described as a humanitarian gesture. “The Americans are taking a very constructive stance on the so-called political prisoners. We do not need political prisoners or any other prisoners,” Lukashenko told the state news agency Belta. Yet, critics argue that the gesture was less about reconciliation and more about leveraging Western concessions to ease the economic stranglehold imposed after Belarus allowed its territory to be used for Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
US special envoy John Coale, who met with Lukashenko in Minsk on the day of the release, said that discussions also touched on the potential reopening of the US embassy in the Belarusian capital. The embassy had closed in February 2022 amid the fallout from Russia’s invasion. Coale told Reuters that while no date had yet been set, the reopening would happen “in the very near future.”
For the opposition, the news was bittersweet. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled Belarusian opposition leader, thanked President Trump for his diplomatic efforts but warned that “what happened yesterday wasn’t a real freedom. It was forced deportation.” Most of the released prisoners crossed into neighboring Lithuania, greeted by supporters waving old Belarusian flags outside the US Embassy in Vilnius. Yet, not all were willing to leave their homeland.
Mikola Statkevich, a veteran opposition figure and former presidential candidate, refused to cross into Lithuania. According to AP and BBC, Statkevich was last seen sitting in no man’s land at the border, determined to remain in Belarus despite the risks. Tsikhanouskaya expressed deep concern for his safety, saying, “everyone who is released has the right to choose either to stay or to leave.” Statkevich’s defiance echoed the stance of other opposition leaders, such as Maria Kolesnikova, who previously refused deportation.
The list of those freed also included 69-year-old philosopher Vladimir Matskevich and journalist Igor Losik, both prominent critics of the regime. Human rights groups confirmed that among the 52 were 14 foreign nationals: six Lithuanians, two Latvians, two Poles, two Germans, one French national, and one UK citizen—Julia Fenner.
Despite the celebratory scenes in Vilnius and London, many observers remain wary. Tsikhanouskaya cautioned that lifting sanctions without “systemic changes in the country could open loopholes that both the Lukashenko regime and Russia will use to circumvent the sanctions.” The history of prisoner releases in Belarus is checkered; Lukashenko has frequently used such gestures to win favor or concessions from the West, only to resume crackdowns when international attention fades. Since July 2023, 314 prisoners have been released in similar attempts to soften relations with the EU and US.
Meanwhile, US President Trump has signaled a willingness to pursue further engagement with Lukashenko. After their phone call last month, Trump suggested a possible face-to-face meeting and stated, “I look forward to meeting President Lukashenko in the future.” The prospect of a thaw in relations with an authoritarian leader long shunned by the West has drawn criticism from human rights advocates, who worry that strategic interests are once again being prioritized over fundamental freedoms.
The fate of Belarus’s remaining political prisoners remains uncertain. While the latest release marks a significant diplomatic event, it has not addressed the underlying issues of repression and lack of political freedom in Belarus. As the world watches the ongoing military drills and shifting alliances in Eastern Europe, the stories of those freed—and those still behind bars—continue to serve as a stark reminder of the high stakes for democracy and human rights in the region.
For now, the release of the 52 prisoners stands as both a diplomatic milestone and a sobering testament to the unresolved struggle for freedom in Belarus.