Belarusian opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski has been released from prison after serving five years, his wife Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya announced on social media platform X. Tsikhanouskaya shared a heartfelt video of her husband’s release, captioning it “FREE”.
In the post, she expressed her immense joy and gratitude, particularly thanking US President Donald Trump, US envoy Keith Kellogg, and European allies for their support. However, she emphasized that the fight isn’t over yet, as 1,150 political prisoners remain behind bars, and she urged for their immediate release.
Tsikhanouski’s release comes after a meeting between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk. Local media reports suggest that this meeting might have played a role in Tsikhanouski’s sudden release. Following his release, Tsikhanouski is reportedly in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, along with 13 other prisoners who were also freed.
Tsikhanouski had planned to run against Lukashenko in the August 2020 presidential election. Known for his charisma, he coined a new insult for Lukashenko, calling him a “cockroach”, and his campaign slogan was “Stop the cockroach”. His supporters would often wave slippers, typically used to kill cockroaches, at protests. However, Tsikhanouski was arrested and detained weeks before the vote. His wife, Tsikhanouskaya, a political novice at the time, took his place in the polls.
In 2021, Tsikhanouski was sentenced to 18 years in prison for “organizing riots” and “inciting hatred”. He received an additional 18 months for “insubordination”. The charges against him were widely seen as politically motivated, and his imprisonment sparked unprecedented protests in Belarus, challenging Lukashenko’s decades-long rule.
Belarus, ruled by Lukashenko since 1994, has outlawed all opposition movements and retains the death penalty as a punishment. According to the Belarusian human rights group Viasna, there are more than 1,000 political prisoners in the country. Tsikhanouskaya’s call for the release of all political prisoners highlights the ongoing human rights concerns in Belarus.