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Belarusian Political Prisoners Omitted from Major East-West Prisoner Exchange
Explore the troubling omission of Belarusian political prisoners from a significant East-West prisoner exchange, shedding light on the implications for human rights and international relations in the region.
Disappointment in Belarusian Political Prisoner Absence from Major East-West Exchange
The recent East-West prisoner exchange, the most significant since the Cold War, has been celebrated by both Washington and Moscow. However, it has left many, especially the family and friends of a jailed Nobel Prize winner and other political opponents of President Aleskandr G. Lukashenko, the long-standing authoritarian leader of Belarus, feeling puzzled and deeply disheartened.
Belarus played a role in the exchange by releasing a German national who had been sentenced to death. Yet, notably absent from the swap were any of the nearly 1,400 individuals classified as political prisoners by the human rights organization Viasna. This stark omission has drawn particular ire and confusion.
“We are very saddened that not a single Belarusian was released,” expressed Alena Masliukova, an activist with Viasna. She emphasized the contrast, stating that “Belarus has more political prisoners than Russia: 1,400 in Belarus compared to 700 in Russia,” yet the country has faced minimal sustained pressure to release its political detainees.
This discrepancy may stem from the perception of Belarus as a somewhat eccentric puppet state of Russia, given its population of fewer than 10 million people and its governance under Mr. Lukashenko since 1994. Despite a prolonged period of oppression and human rights violations, Belarus has garnered relatively little attention on the global stage.
The exclusion of Belarusian political prisoners from last week’s extensive exchange raises critical questions regarding the efforts of Belarusian opposition figures abroad. Prominent among them is Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who has positioned herself as the self-styled national leader of Belarus. Her movement’s inability to prioritize the release of political prisoners in discussions with the United States and other Western governments stands in stark contrast to the more proactive campaigns undertaken by Russia’s opposition factions, who have vigorously advocated for the liberation of their own dissidents.