In exchange for the US easing sanctions, Belarus has released another 25 prisoners

Belarus has released another 25 prisoners in exchange for the easing of US sanctions. This was announced on September 16 by John Cole, the special envoy of United States President Donald Trump.

This agreement is part of long-running negotiations. Washington has been calling on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to release hundreds of people, including human rights defenders, political activists, journalists, and lawyers. In return, the US is offering to ease sanctions and end the country's international isolation.

"We have reached a temporary agreement. As a gesture of goodwill, Belarus will release 25 people. In response, the US will lift sanctions on two companies," John Cole told reporters in Minsk.

The current number of 25 prisoners is significantly lower than the figure of 250 people that Cole managed to secure during his visit to Minsk in March. The American diplomat said that both sides will work on resolving existing issues to release further prisoners and lift sanctions.

"We will continue to improve US-Belarus relations. We are working on releasing even more people in the near future. We have not stopped!" he wrote later on his X page.

According to the Belarusian human rights organization Viasna, a new phase of amnesty has begun in the country. Relatives of some prisoners were told on the morning of September 16 that they could pick them up from penal colonies.

Lukashenko denied exchanging prisoners for others

According to the Viasna organization, which is banned in Belarus, although Cole has managed to secure the release of hundreds of people since mid-2025, more than 900 political prisoners are still being held in the former Soviet state. The most common charges against them are extremist activity, conspiracy to seize power, inciting hatred, or insulting the president.

During negotiations with Cole on September 15, Lukashenko denied that these people were political prisoners. He refuted accusations by human rights organizations and the exiled opposition that "new prisoners are being jailed to replace the old ones."

The two companies to be removed from US sanctions are "Lakokraska," a manufacturer of paint and industrial coatings, and the state concern "Bellesbumprom," which oversees the forestry, pulp, and paper sectors. Sanctions against them were introduced in 2008 and 2023, respectively.

Cole also promised Lukashenko on September 15 to return tens of millions of dollars in Belarusian assets frozen in US banks.

Thanks to Cole's efforts, which began in 2025, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and leading opposition figures were released. His diplomacy has earned the gratitude of many Belarusians, but has also raised concerns.

"We must use every opportunity to save people's lives. But we should not confuse release with political change. The repression continues, and Lukashenko continues to support Russia's war (in Ukraine)," exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said in a comment to Reuters.

UN experts had published a report on the use of the justice system in Belarus to suppress critics of Lukashenko. The document states that since 2020, courts, police, and prison authorities in the country have acted together to suppress the president's opponents. It also notes that harassment and arrests have not stopped to this day.