Lukashenko Pardons 15 Prisoners Including 13 Convicted of Extremism
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree pardoning 15 convicted individuals, including 13 who committed crimes of an extremist nature. Most of the pardoned, 10 people, are women.
Consensus
- Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree on September 24 pardoning 15 prisoners.
- Thirteen of the pardoned were convicted of crimes with extremist intent.
- Ten of the pardoned individuals are women.
- All pardoned prisoners submitted requests for pardon, admitted guilt, and expressed remorse.
- All pardoned prisoners promised to lead law-abiding lives in the future.
- The names of the pardoned individuals have not been disclosed.
Points of divergence
- The U.S. has been negotiating with Belarus for over a year regarding the release of opposition figures, activists, and journalists in exchange for lifting sanctions. — kommerant
- John Kelly, a special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, met with Lukashenko on September 15 in Minsk. — kommerant
- Following the talks, the U.S. agreed to lift sanctions on two Belarusian companies: 'Lakokrasa' and 'Bellesbumprom'. — kommerant
- John Kelly stated in a social media post that 25 prisoners were released in September. — fontanka
- After the release, Donald Trump announced that the U.S. was working on a large-scale deal to purchase potash fertilizers from Belarus. — fontanka
- Lukashenko pardoned 250 people in March after talks with U.S. special envoy John Kelly. — vm
- Opposition figures, including Viktor Babariko and Maria Kolosnikova, were transported to Ukraine in December 2025 after their release. — vm
Coverage (7 sources)
- Alexander Lukashenko pardoned 15 more prisoners — BBC News Русская служба
- Authoritarian Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko signed a pardon decree on September 24 for 15 prisoners. — Радио Свобода
- Lukashenko pardoned 15 criminals — Вести
- Lukashenko pardoned 15 convicted — Коммерсантъ
- Lukashenko pardoned 15 convicted — Ведомости
- Lukashenko signed a decree on the pardon of convicted persons. They promised to lead a law-abiding lifestyle — Фонтанка
- Lukashenko pardoned 15 people, 13 of whom were sentenced for extremism — Вечерняя Москва
Key entities
- Alexander Lukashenko
- Belarus
- Belarus
- BelTA
- Moscow
- USA
- Media
- YouTube
- Switzerland
- BBC World Service
- Russian Service