Belarus releases 123 prisoners including opposition leaders after US lifts sanctions

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by William ChristouDecember 13, 2025 at 05:03 PM

AI Summary

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Belarus released 123 prisoners, including opposition leaders like Ales Bialiatski and Maria Kalesnikava, following the lifting of US sanctions on Belarusian potash. The release, the largest since talks began, occurred after discussions between Belarusian officials and a US envoy from the Trump administration. This prisoner release is part of a broader effort by Belarus to improve relations with the West, potentially to reduce its reliance on Russia. The US lifted sanctions on potash as instructed by President Trump. Many of those released, including Ukrainian and Belarusian citizens, were transferred to Ukraine, with some expected to go to Vilnius, Lithuania.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Vladimir Putin ×270% Donald Trump ×380% United States ×380% Alexander Lukashenko ×4100% Ales Bialiatski ×3100% Maria Kalesnikava ×2100%

Keywords

prisoner release 90% belarus 80% us sanctions 80% opposition leaders 70% alexander lukashenko 60% human rights 60% us-belarus relations 50% political prisoners 50% potash 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.30

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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prisoner release belarus us sanctions opposition leaders alexander lukashenko human rights us-belarus relations political prisoners potash

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