Belarus frees 25 political prisoners in return for US sanctions relief

Belarus on Wednesday freed 25 political prisoners as the United States lifted sanctions on two of the reclusive country’s companies, US envoy John Coale announced after his latest visit to Minsk. The release on Wednesday marked the culmination of a series of negotiations stretching back more than a year between Coale and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Those freed include human rights campaigners, political activists, journalists and lawyers. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where the freed prisoners were taken, Coale said he expected to return in about a month when he hopes to see “hundreds” freed.