Reacting to the release of 250 individuals imprisoned in Belarus on politically motivated grounds, including human rights defenders Marfa Rabkova and Nasta Loika, as a part of a deal with the United States, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:
“While the release of hundreds of individuals unjustly detained on politically motivated charges is a welcome step, it must not be mistaken for justice. Marfa Rabkova, Nasta Loika, Valiantsin Stefanovich and others should not have spent a day in prison. Freedom should never be the product of geopolitical bargaining in human beings. Justice will not be served until those responsible for their unlawful imprisonment are held accountable.
“The Belarusian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all those still imprisoned solely for exercising their human rights, quash their convictions and put an end to the systemic repression against government critics. Further reprisals, including arrests and imprisonment that we are observing, are unacceptable.”
Further reprisals, including arrests and imprisonment that we are observing, are unacceptable
Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director
Background
On 19 March, Belarusian authorities released 250 prisoners, including prominent human rights defenders Marfa Rabkova, Nasta Loika and Valiantsin Stefanovich. Among those released is also Mikita Zalatarou, arrested in 2021 when he was 17 years old and sentenced to five years.
The releases followed negotiations with the US, which in turn agreed to ease certain sanctions targeting Belarusian financial institutions and key export sectors. According to available information, while the majority of those freed remained in Belarus, at least 15 individuals were transferred to Lithuania accompanied by the US delegation.
Those released were detained, prosecuted and imprisoned under politically motivated charges, in retaliation for their professional activities such as human rights work or for peacefully exercising their human rights during protests that followed the widely contested 2020 presidential election, which triggered a wave of large-scale reprisals that continue to this day.
