Lukashenko released another group of political prisoners. What will he get in return?

John Coale, an envoy for US President Donald Trump, has been in Belarus since yesterday. To date, American diplomatic efforts have secured the release of approximately 500 political prisoners, including the Polish journalist Andrzej Poczobut.

According to Coale, 25 individuals were released. Former prisoners left the country and were taken to Lithuania. In exchange, the United States will lift sanctions against the Belarusian firms Lakokraska and Bellesbumprom. Lakokraska is the largest Belarusian manufacturer of paint and varnish materials. The Bellesbumprom concern is a state association focused on woodworking, furniture production, and the pulp and paper industry.

It should be noted that political prisoners are utilised by the Belarusian regime as a potentially inexhaustible resource for negotiations. Relations with the Americans are purely transactional – Minsk releases prisoners, Washington lifts sanctions. However, the issue of new political prisoners taking the place of those who have been released remains. The human rights organisation Viasna reports that there are currently around 911 political prisoners in Belarus. It is worth adding that likely not all of them are officially documented.