Belarus prisoner releases negotiated by the US delayed, Tsikhanouskaya says

The United States has reported a delay in efforts to secure the release of more Belarusian political prisoners, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Reuters.

In an interview with the agency, Tsikhanouskaya said the U.S. side had informed her that the next planned releases had been postponed, though she declined to explain the reason.

“We were told that the next releases were postponed for a while,” she said. “Knowing the reason, it doesn’t worry me. Of course, we want more people to be released as soon as possible, and any delay affects their health. But it’s not the end of the process.”

Tsikhanouskaya also pointed to a June 3 post on X by U.S. envoy John Coale, who wrote: “We are not finished. Keep hope alive!”

Reuters said it had requested comment from Coale and from Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s office, but neither had responded.

The first large-scale release of political prisoners secured through U.S. efforts took place in June 2025. Among those freed was Siarhei Tsikhanouski, the husband of Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

In the following months, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Belarus, John Coale, met with Alyaksandr Lukashenka several times. Each meeting was accompanied by the release of groups of prisoners, while Washington eased some sanctions in return.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on the Lukashenka regime to release all political prisoners.

/ automated translation