On 13 December 2025, 123 people were released from places of detention in Belarus. Among them were well-known politicians and human rights defenders, foreign nationals, and people whose health in custody had alarmed relatives and rights groups.
What happened
The releases were officially framed as pardons. In public discussion the episode is most often described as part of a major diplomatic arrangement: talks also covered next steps in relations with the United States, including easing restrictions affecting the potash sector — a key pillar of Belarusian exports. That context is highlighted by, among others, the Associated Press, the BBC, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Some of those freed were moved out of the country: open sources mention transfers toward Ukraine and Lithuania, with individual figures going to other European states. Exact routes and each person’s legal status after release should be checked against fresh reporting and statements by human rights defenders.
Names that appear most often in the lists
Public lists include, among others:
- Ales Bialiatski — human rights defender, Nobel Peace Prize laureate; groups such as CIVICUS flagged harsh detention conditions and health risks;
- Maryia Kalesnikava, Viktar Babaryka, Maksim Znak — figures tied to the 2020 political crisis;
- representatives of media and civil society, including people linked to TUT.BY and the Viasna Human Rights Centre.
Media coverage also notes nationals of several countries (including US allies and Ukraine), underscoring the international dimension of the list, not only its domestic side.
Health and the “humanitarian” framing
Official wording linked the decision to appeals by other leaders and humanitarian considerations (Novaya Gazeta and others). For years the rights community had demanded the release of the seriously ill and those denied adequate medical care in colonies. For many families, this wave of releases meant the legal act of pardon coincided with hope for proper diagnosis and treatment outside pre-trial jails — even at the cost of forced emigration or an uncertain status abroad.
What lies beyond a single day’s headlines
One mass release does not dismantle the system of political prosecution: open tallies still showed hundreds whom rights defenders count as political prisoners. In early interviews, several of those freed spoke of guilt toward those who remained behind bars — a moral tension that, for many, weighs heavier than political headlines.