Belarus leader Lukashenko pardons 32 prisoners convicted for ‘extremism’

Human rights radical Viasna reports 1,275 governmental prisoners inactive jailed and look harsh conditions.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned dozens of governmental prisoners, his bureau said, but critics warned that the crackdown connected dissent continues, with much than 1,000 radical inactive imprisoned since wide demonstrations successful 2020.

The 32 prisoners pardoned were “convicted of extremist crimes”, the presidency said successful a connection connected Wednesday. Seventeen of them endure from chronic diseases and 9 were older than 50.

“The Ministry of Internal Affairs volition guarantee power implicit their law-abiding behaviour,” it said.

This marked the sixth question of pardons of governmental prisoners since July this year, with a full of 178 radical released, according to a tally based connected information from quality rights groups.

“It fills my bosom with joyousness that different 32 governmental prisoners successful Belarus are acceptable to beryllium released,” said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, an exiled absorption person who claimed triumph successful the 2020 election.

“However, we indispensable spot the harsh reality: repression continues & the fig of governmental prisoners keeps growing,” she said successful a station connected societal media level X.

Lukashenko suppressed wide protests successful the aftermath of the disputed 2020 election.

He was re-elected to a sixth consecutive word successful a ballot rejected by astir of the planetary assemblage implicit wide allegations of fraud. The predetermination was followed by a drawstring of arguable authorities aimed astatine further crushing dissent, including the criminalisation of disapproval against the president.

According to the Viasna quality rights group, astatine slightest 1,275 governmental prisoners stay down bars since 2020.

Most of them were convicted for insulting Lukashenko, with much than 500 being sentenced to imprisonment successful penal colonies, the radical said.

As the state gears up for the adjacent statesmanlike election successful January 2025, repression has further intensified, according to Viasna. Between September and mid-November, astatine slightest 1,213 governmental administrative cases were heard successful courts with the bulk of cases being related to “spreading extremist material”, the radical said.

Lukashenko has ruled the state since 1994 with an robust fist. He has moved Minsk person to Moscow and allowed Russia to usage Belarus arsenic a staging station for its 2022 penetration of Ukraine – a determination that further strained the country’s ties with the West.

Political prisoners are held successful pugnacious conditions, often denied entree to lawyers and interaction with relatives connected the outside.

Last week, jailed protestation person Maria Kolesnikova was photographed gathering her begetter successful what appeared to beryllium a situation infirmary – the archetypal quality connected her information successful 20 months.

Recently released prisoners surviving successful exile person told the AFP quality bureau that it is astir intolerable to pb a mean beingness successful Belarus arsenic a erstwhile governmental prisoner, with radical remaining nether adjacent ticker and struggling to find employment.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies