Belarus Frees 123 Political Prisoners as US Lifts Potash Ban

Alexander Lukashenko attends the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) Heads of State Council in Bishkek on Nov. 27.Photographer: Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Milda Seputyte and Aliaksandr Kudrytski

December 13, 2025 at 1:41 PM UTC

Updated on

December 13, 2025 at 6:21 PM UTC

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko ordered the release of 123 political prisoners, pushing high-profile opponents into exile hours after a US envoy announced that Washington will lift sanctions on the country’s potash industry.

Lukashenko pardoned the group following two days of talks with President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, John Coale, whose comments on potash were reported by the state-run Belarusian news service Belta.