US envoy shares photo with 25 freed Belarusian political prisoners

US President’s special envoy John Coale has published a photo showing him alongside 25 Belarusian political prisoners who have been released.

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Belarus service, those pictured include:

• Liudmila Chekina, CEO of the TUT.BY news portal;

• Dmitry Novozhilov, former CEO of the BelaPAN news agency;

• Andrei Alexandrov, media manager, journalist and defendant in the BelaPAN case;

• Iryna Zlobina, Alexandrov’s wife, activist and defendant in the BelaPAN case;

• Pavel Belous, art manager and founder of the Symbal.by national-symbolism store;

• Yavlen Yushkevich, an activist detained for taking part in the 2020 protests;

• Evgeny Burlo, musician with the Tor Band;

• Dmitry Golovach, vocalist and guitarist of Tor Band;

• Tatyana Kuzina, political scientist and co-founder of the School of Young Managers of Public Administration (SYMPA);

• Yana Pinchuk, administrator of the “Vitebsk 97%” Telegram channel.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was previously expected to release 25 political prisoners in exchange for the United States lifting sanctions on the Belarusian companies Lakokraska and Bellesbumprom.

By Jeyhun Aghazada