Belarus opposition leader Tikhanovsky freed after US-brokered pardon
Belarusian opposition activist Sergey Tikhanovsky (Siarhei Tsikhanovsky) was released from prison on 21 June 2025 following a pardon mediated by U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg, who recently met with President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk.
“I can't believe it. Siarhei is here—with me and our children. What we’ve dreamed of for 5 years has finally happened,” his wife Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Sviatlana Tsikhanovskaya) said in a post on social media. “Tonight, I’m taking the evening off to talk with my husband, to let him see his children again, after so many years. Thank you all for the tremendous support!”
Tikhanovsky was held in several high-security detention centres in Belarus during his imprisonment, including the notorious Okrestina Detention Centre in Minsk that still holds numerous opposition activists arrested during protests. Tikhanovsky, 46, had been imprisoned for more than five years.
The announcement of the releases came just hours after Lukashenko met US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk, the highest profile visit of a US official to the authoritarian state in years.
Tikhanovsky immediately travelled to Lithuania where he was delivered from the airport to emerged from a white mini bus throw himself into the arms of his waiting wife. (video)
Belarus has faced international condemnation since the 2020 mass demonstrations following the blatant falsification of the presidential election that returned Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to his seventh term of office. The election was widely viewed as fraudulent and sparked mass protests across the country.
Lukashenko responded with a sweeping crackdown on dissent, jailing opposition figures, activists, and journalists. Among those detained was Tikhanovsky, a popular blogger and activist who had planned to challenge Lukashenko at the ballot box before being arrested in May 2020 ahead of the elections.
Tikhanovsky, who was serving an 18-year sentence after his 2020 arrest for political dissent, arrived in Lithuania on Saturday June 21 along with 13 other released political prisoners.
After her husband was jailed, his wife Tikhanovskaya ran in his stead. Initially, Lukashenko dismissed her challenge as that of a “mere housewife” but as the large crowds rallied to her banner, he became increasingly embattled.
While the Central Election Committee (CEC) immediately burnt all the ballots after declaring Lukashenko the winner, the few rebel polling station that release the real result of the election suggest that Tikhanovskaya won the election in a landslide.
However, after the poll she went to a meeting at the CEC a few days later to lodge a formal complaint and demand a recount where she was confronted by Belarus’ KGB agents. Tikhanovskaya was forced into making a statement calling on Belarusians to accept the official results making Lukashenko the victor and called for an end to the protests. But then she immediately fled into exile with her two small children in Lithuania, where she resumed her campaign to oust Lukashenko, appealing to the international community for help.
“My husband Siarhei is free! It’s hard to describe the joy in my heart,” Tikhanovskaya wrote. “We’re not done. 1,150 political prisoners remain behind bars. All must be released.”
While the release marks a rare concession from the Belarusian government, the broader political crackdown remains in place. Rights groups continue to call for the release of all remaining political detainees.
Other prominent opposition leaders remain in jail
Other opposition leaders included in the release were Natalia Dulina, a former university professor, and Ihar Kamel, a journalist working for RFE/RL. Swedish-Belarusian citizen Galina Krasnyanskaya, arrested in 2023 for allegedly supporting Ukraine, was also freed, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said.
The other released prisoners include five Belarusian nationals and Japanese, Polish and Swedish citizens, according to Tikhanovskaya's office.
Tikhankovsky’s release was welcomed with applause from the international community. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed Tikhanovsky's release and called for Belarus to free its other political prisoners. "This is fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenko regime," she said on X.
However, the other top opposition leaders jailed both before the 2020 elections and during the protests afterward remain in jail.
Most prominent of those still in jail is former banker Viktor Babariko who also was intending to run against Lukashenko in the 2020 election and was on course to easily win the race until he was also arrested ahead of the poll.
Maria Kolesnikova also remains in jail, her sister confirmed. Formerly the campaign manager for Babariko, she joined forces with Tikhanovskaya, after his arrest and became a leading figure in the protest movement together with Veronika Tsepkalo, who also fled into exile. She was an easily identifiable figure at the street protests with her short cropped platinum blonde hair and trademark bright red lipstick.
While Tikhanovskaya fled into exile after she was threatened by the KGB, Kolesnikova chose to remain in Minsk and continue protesting in public against the Lukashenko regime until she was eventually snatched by security services from the street and jailed. She disappeared for almost two weeks before finally surfacing in a Belarusian prison and later charged with organising a coup d'état.
The authorities tried to forcibly expel her from the country in September, but failed after she ripped up her passport on the Ukrainian border, making it impossible for her to leave the country. After disappearing again she eventually resurfaced in another Minsk jail but has rarely been seen in public since.
Babariko has also not been seen for over two years, until he released a short video message to his daughter in January, published online by Roman Protasevich, another Belarusian opposition journalist that was snatched by the authorities after it forced a commercial Ryanair flight to land in Minsk on its way to Vilnius. Babariko has been held incommunicado since April 2022, with no access to visits, phone calls, or letters, according to human rights group Viasna.
Belarusian opposition activist Sergey Tikhanovsky (Siarhei Tsikhanovsky) was released from prison on 21 June 2025 following a pardon mediated by U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg, who recently met with President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk.
“I can't believe it. Siarhei is here—with me and our children. What we’ve dreamed of for 5 years has finally happened,” his wife Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Sviatlana Tsikhanovskaya) said in a post on social media. “Tonight, I’m taking the evening off to talk with my husband, to let him see his children again, after so many years. Thank you all for the tremendous support!”
Tikhanovsky was held in several high-security detention centres in Belarus during his imprisonment, including the notorious Okrestina Detention Centre in Minsk that still holds numerous opposition activists arrested during protests. Tikhanovsky, 46, had been imprisoned for more than five years.
The announcement of the releases came just hours after Lukashenko met US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk, the highest profile visit of a US official to the authoritarian state in years.
Tikhanovsky immediately travelled to Lithuania where he was delivered from the airport to emerged from a white mini bus throw himself into the arms of his waiting wife. (video)
Belarus has faced international condemnation since the 2020 mass demonstrations following the blatant falsification of the presidential election that returned Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to his seventh term of office. The election was widely viewed as fraudulent and sparked mass protests across the country.
Lukashenko responded with a sweeping crackdown on dissent, jailing opposition figures, activists, and journalists. Among those detained was Tikhanovsky, a popular blogger and activist who had planned to challenge Lukashenko at the ballot box before being arrested in May 2020 ahead of the elections.
Tikhanovsky, who was serving an 18-year sentence after his 2020 arrest for political dissent, arrived in Lithuania on Saturday June 21 along with 13 other released political prisoners.
After her husband was jailed, his wife Tikhanovskaya ran in his stead. Initially, Lukashenko dismissed her challenge as that of a “mere housewife” but as the large crowds rallied to her banner, he became increasingly embattled.
While the Central Election Committee (CEC) immediately burnt all the ballots after declaring Lukashenko the winner, the few rebel polling station that release the real result of the election suggest that Tikhanovskaya won the election in a landslide.
However, after the poll she went to a meeting at the CEC a few days later to lodge a formal complaint and demand a recount where she was confronted by Belarus’ KGB agents. Tikhanovskaya was forced into making a statement calling on Belarusians to accept the official results making Lukashenko the victor and called for an end to the protests. But then she immediately fled into exile with her two small children in Lithuania, where she resumed her campaign to oust Lukashenko, appealing to the international community for help.
“My husband Siarhei is free! It’s hard to describe the joy in my heart,” Tikhanovskaya wrote. “We’re not done. 1,150 political prisoners remain behind bars. All must be released.”
While the release marks a rare concession from the Belarusian government, the broader political crackdown remains in place. Rights groups continue to call for the release of all remaining political detainees.
Other prominent opposition leaders remain in jail
Other opposition leaders included in the release were Natalia Dulina, a former university professor, and Ihar Kamel, a journalist working for RFE/RL. Swedish-Belarusian citizen Galina Krasnyanskaya, arrested in 2023 for allegedly supporting Ukraine, was also freed, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said.
The other released prisoners include five Belarusian nationals and Japanese, Polish and Swedish citizens, according to Tikhanovskaya's office.
Tikhankovsky’s release was welcomed with applause from the international community. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed Tikhanovsky's release and called for Belarus to free its other political prisoners. "This is fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenko regime," she said on X.
However, the other top opposition leaders jailed both before the 2020 elections and during the protests afterward remain in jail.
Most prominent of those still in jail is former banker Viktor Babariko who also was intending to run against Lukashenko in the 2020 election and was on course to easily win the race until he was also arrested ahead of the poll.
Maria Kolesnikova also remains in jail, her sister confirmed. Formerly the campaign manager for Babariko, she joined forces with Tikhanovskaya, after his arrest and became a leading figure in the protest movement together with Veronika Tsepkalo, who also fled into exile. She was an easily identifiable figure at the street protests with her short cropped platinum blonde hair and trademark bright red lipstick.
While Tikhanovskaya fled into exile after she was threatened by the KGB, Kolesnikova chose to remain in Minsk and continue protesting in public against the Lukashenko regime until she was eventually snatched by security services from the street and jailed. She disappeared for almost two weeks before finally surfacing in a Belarusian prison and later charged with organising a coup d'état.
The authorities tried to forcibly expel her from the country in September, but failed after she ripped up her passport on the Ukrainian border, making it impossible for her to leave the country. After disappearing again she eventually resurfaced in another Minsk jail but has rarely been seen in public since.
Babariko has also not been seen for over two years, until he released a short video message to his daughter in January, published online by Roman Protasevich, another Belarusian opposition journalist that was snatched by the authorities after it forced a commercial Ryanair flight to land in Minsk on its way to Vilnius. Babariko has been held incommunicado since April 2022, with no access to visits, phone calls, or letters, according to human rights group Viasna.
Exclusive: Belarus releases political prisoners, including opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski
The Belarus president pardoned several prisoners on Saturday during the visit of US special envoy Keith Kellogg in a move to ease tensions with the West.
Belarus has released a group of political prisoners on Saturday, in a US-brokered deal with President Aliaksandr Lukashenka, Belarusian opposition sources told Euronews.
Exiled Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s husband Siarhei Tsikhanouski is among the released.
In an exclusive statement to Euronews, Franak Viačorka, Chief of Staff to exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, emphasised the diplomatic breakthrough "The visit of Trump's envoy Kellogg to Minsk maybe didn't bring any changes for Ukraine's peace talks, but it brought very concrete result: release political prisoners, including Siarhei Tsikhanouski." Adding "Basically, it's a combination of pressure through sanctions and quiet, silent, diplomatic work".
Viačorka emphasised on the importance of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Siarhei Tsikhanouskaya reunion as "when they are together, this powerful couple, Siarhei and Sviatlana, they give, hope to Belarusian people, hope and energy to continue the fight." As well as "it raises attention to the topic of political prisoners again".
Lukashenka’s regime arrested him in 2020 as the then-Belarusian opposition presidential candidate and Lukashenka's direct opponent.
Siarhei Tsikhanouski speaks to people gathered to sign up and support potential presidential candidates in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, May 24, 2020.AP PhotoThe surprise release was brokered by US envoy Keith Kellogg, a longtime advisor to US President Donald Trump, who travelled to Belarus earlier this week for talks with Lukashenka.
Since last year, Lukashenka has been regularly pardoning small numbers of imprisoned government critics in what analysts saw as a signal that Minsk was seeking to ease tensions with the West.
In the run-up to the January 2025 presidential elections, Lukashenka has pardoned prisoners convicted of extremism, claiming that it was a "humane gesture" toward those who had "gone astray".
Artist Ales Pushkin, who died in July while imprisoned in Belarus after authorities deprived him of medical care, waves a red-and-white flag symbolizes oppositionAP PhotoKellogg, US special envoy for Russia’s war against Ukraine, has said privately that the trip to Minsk could help kickstart peace talks aimed at ending Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to two of the sources.
Earlier, exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews that Lukashenka "cannot be trusted” and Belarus is not a place for negotiations because Lukashenka "is part of this war".
Lukashenka is a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has allowed him to stage part of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 from Belarus.
"He's a co-aggressor and he's serving Putin's interest, and he cannot be trusted at all," Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews.
She described Russia's war in Ukraine as a blessing for Lukashenka and that he did not want it to stop.
"(The government) is producing a huge amount of stuff for Russian army, and in this atmosphere of sanctions against Lukashenka's regime, it's a good source of income for him," she added.
Police officers detain Nina Bahinskaya, 73, during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020AP Photo
Belarus has released a group of political prisoners on Saturday, in a US-brokered deal with President Aliaksandr Lukashenka, Belarusian opposition sources told Euronews.
Exiled Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s husband Siarhei Tsikhanouski is among the released.
In an exclusive statement to Euronews, Franak Viačorka, Chief of Staff to exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, emphasised the diplomatic breakthrough "The visit of Trump's envoy Kellogg to Minsk maybe didn't bring any changes for Ukraine's peace talks, but it brought very concrete result: release political prisoners, including Siarhei Tsikhanouski." Adding "Basically, it's a combination of pressure through sanctions and quiet, silent, diplomatic work".
Viačorka emphasised on the importance of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Siarhei Tsikhanouskaya reunion as "when they are together, this powerful couple, Siarhei and Sviatlana, they give, hope to Belarusian people, hope and energy to continue the fight." As well as "it raises attention to the topic of political prisoners again".
Lukashenka’s regime arrested him in 2020 as the then-Belarusian opposition presidential candidate and Lukashenka's direct opponent.
Siarhei Tsikhanouski speaks to people gathered to sign up and support potential presidential candidates in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, May 24, 2020.AP PhotoThe surprise release was brokered by US envoy Keith Kellogg, a longtime advisor to US President Donald Trump, who travelled to Belarus earlier this week for talks with Lukashenka.
Since last year, Lukashenka has been regularly pardoning small numbers of imprisoned government critics in what analysts saw as a signal that Minsk was seeking to ease tensions with the West.
In the run-up to the January 2025 presidential elections, Lukashenka has pardoned prisoners convicted of extremism, claiming that it was a "humane gesture" toward those who had "gone astray".
Kellogg, US special envoy for Russia’s war against Ukraine, has said privately that the trip to Minsk could help kickstart peace talks aimed at ending Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to two of the sources.
Earlier, exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews that Lukashenka "cannot be trusted” and Belarus is not a place for negotiations because Lukashenka "is part of this war".
Lukashenka is a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has allowed him to stage part of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 from Belarus.
"He's a co-aggressor and he's serving Putin's interest, and he cannot be trusted at all," Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews.
She described Russia's war in Ukraine as a blessing for Lukashenka and that he did not want it to stop.
"(The government) is producing a huge amount of stuff for Russian army, and in this atmosphere of sanctions against Lukashenka's regime, it's a good source of income for him," she added.
Who is Siarhei Tsikanouski?
Previously a popular blogger, Siarhei Tsikhanouski decided to run against Lukashenka in the 2020 presidential elections and was arrested in spring, long before the summer protests in Belarus.
Tsikhanouski was first given “administrative detention” which prevented him from filing his candidacy before the deadline. His wife Tsikhanouskaya filed her candidacy instead, emerging as a leading opposition candidate.
A Minsk court sentenced Tsikhanouski to 18 years in prison with the harshest possible conditions. He has not been allowed family visits and telephone calls. He has also not been allowed to meet with his lawyer confidentially, read, send letters, or receive letters and parcels.
In 2023 he was given a new sentence of 1.5 years in prison in addition to the 18-year sentence he was already serving on the charge of “disobedience to prison administration”.
Tsikhanouskaya had no contact with her husband since he was jailed. She previously told Euronews that she did not know if he was alive.
“My children write letters to him, but they get no response. They ask if their father is okay, if he is still alive—it’s an incredibly painful situation. My husband’s imprisonment is my personal pain, but my goal is to free all political prisoners,” the Belarusian opposition leader said in an earlier interview with Euronews.**
Lukashenka claimed victory in the 2020 presidential election deemed fraudulent by the EU and external observers, triggering mass protests.
They were violently crushed by police, with tens of thousands of peaceful protesters arrested, and countless detainees suffering torture and other ill-treatment.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya went into exile for fear of prosecution. Many of her close associates, including her closest companion during the election campaign, Maryia Kalesnikava, were jailed.
Previously a popular blogger, Siarhei Tsikhanouski decided to run against Lukashenka in the 2020 presidential elections and was arrested in spring, long before the summer protests in Belarus.
Tsikhanouski was first given “administrative detention” which prevented him from filing his candidacy before the deadline. His wife Tsikhanouskaya filed her candidacy instead, emerging as a leading opposition candidate.
A Minsk court sentenced Tsikhanouski to 18 years in prison with the harshest possible conditions. He has not been allowed family visits and telephone calls. He has also not been allowed to meet with his lawyer confidentially, read, send letters, or receive letters and parcels.
In 2023 he was given a new sentence of 1.5 years in prison in addition to the 18-year sentence he was already serving on the charge of “disobedience to prison administration”.
Tsikhanouskaya had no contact with her husband since he was jailed. She previously told Euronews that she did not know if he was alive.
“My children write letters to him, but they get no response. They ask if their father is okay, if he is still alive—it’s an incredibly painful situation. My husband’s imprisonment is my personal pain, but my goal is to free all political prisoners,” the Belarusian opposition leader said in an earlier interview with Euronews.**
Lukashenka claimed victory in the 2020 presidential election deemed fraudulent by the EU and external observers, triggering mass protests.
They were violently crushed by police, with tens of thousands of peaceful protesters arrested, and countless detainees suffering torture and other ill-treatment.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya went into exile for fear of prosecution. Many of her close associates, including her closest companion during the election campaign, Maryia Kalesnikava, were jailed.
Worldwide reactions
EU commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the release as “fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenka regime”.
Reactions from the US included deputy John Coale who praised US "President Trump’s strong leadership" and "the Lithuanian government for its cooperation and assistance".
According to the Belarusian human rights centre Vyasna, over 50,000 people have been detained on political grounds after mass protests broke out following Lukashenka's 2020 presidential election win, and at least 5,472 people have been convicted in politically-motivated criminal cases.
The United Nations estimates that around 300,000 Belarusians have left the country since then, with most going to Poland and Lithuania.
Even today, between 15 and 20 people are being detained in Belarus every day.
In 2023, Tsikhanouskaya was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
EU commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the release as “fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenka regime”.
Reactions from the US included deputy John Coale who praised US "President Trump’s strong leadership" and "the Lithuanian government for its cooperation and assistance".
According to the Belarusian human rights centre Vyasna, over 50,000 people have been detained on political grounds after mass protests broke out following Lukashenka's 2020 presidential election win, and at least 5,472 people have been convicted in politically-motivated criminal cases.
The United Nations estimates that around 300,000 Belarusians have left the country since then, with most going to Poland and Lithuania.
Even today, between 15 and 20 people are being detained in Belarus every day.
In 2023, Tsikhanouskaya was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
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