Belarus agrees to free 25 prisoners as US lifts sanctions on two state firms

Terms of the bilateral exchange

United States special envoy John Coale announced an interim agreement in Minsk on 16 September 2026 that secures the release of 25 prisoners from Belarusian custody. In return, the United States agreed to lift economic sanctions on two state-owned enterprises, wood processing and paper manufacturer Bellesbumprom and industrial coatings producer Lakokraska. American sanctions had targeted Lakokraska since 2008 and Bellesbumprom since 2023. Coale also announced that Washington will unfreeze tens of millions of dollars in Belarusian state assets currently held in American commercial banks. European Union sanctions against the government in Minsk remain fully in force due to ongoing domestic repression and Belarusian logistical support for Russian military operations against Ukraine.

We agreed on an interim agreement, and as a show of goodwill, Belarus will release 25 people. In exchange, the United States will lift sanctions on two companies.

Detainees included in the agreement

The 25 freed individuals include prominent journalists, civic figures, and activists detained during the crackdown following the 2020 presidential election. Among those released are Lyudmila Chekina, former head of independent media portal tut.by, and Dzmitry Navazhylau, former director of the news agency BelaPAN. The release also covers Pavel Belavus, founder of the cultural venue Art Siadziba, and Alena Lazarchyk, an activist with the European Belarus civic campaign. Former police investigator Yauhen Yushkevich, who established the ByChange initiative to assist officers resigning from law enforcement, was freed after being detained following the 2020 demonstrations. Journalist Andrei Aleksandrov had served nearly five years of his sentence in a penal colony, with nine years remaining at the time of the deal, while five other released prisoners were serving terms exceeding ten years on charges including extremism, conspiracy, and insulting the president.

Diplomatic track and previous prisoner releases

The direct talks led by Coale have secured the release of approximately 500 political prisoners across several rounds over the past year. In an earlier negotiation in March 2026, Minsk released 250 political detainees following formal requests from Washington. Previous rounds secured the release of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, Polish-minority journalist Andrzej Poczobut, and opposition activist Siarhei Tsikhanouski. In exchange for earlier releases, the United States removed sanctions against major potash fertilizer producer Belaruskali following direct exchanges between President Alexander Lukashenko and American representatives. Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed the release and confirmed that exiled opposition groups will help the released individuals relocate abroad and rebuild their lives.

Every released person is a victory.

Planned October talks and remaining detainees

Coale confirmed plans to return to Minsk in approximately one month to negotiate the release of hundreds more prisoners. The human rights organization Viasna reports that 904 political prisoners remain incarcerated across Belarus, while other human rights groups estimate that up to 1,400 political detainees remain in custody. Viasna documented 362 new political detentions since the March 2026 exchange, showing that arrests continue even as periodic releases occur. During direct meetings on 15 September 2026, Lukashenko denied the existence of political prisoners in Belarus and dismissed calculations provided by human rights monitoring groups. Coale stated that direct diplomacy will continue in an effort to resolve outstanding bilateral disputes and achieve further prisoner releases.

I hope hundreds are released. I don't know. That's my hope.