Lukashenko pardons 22 prisoners in New Year gesture amid warming US relations

According to a statement from the Belarusian Presidency, President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 22 prisoners ahead of the New Year. According to information reported by the BelTA news agency, 20 of the pardoned prisoners had been convicted of extremism offenses.

It was reported that 15 of those released are women and seven are men. The statement emphasized that 11 of the prisoners have minor children. It was stated that all of the individuals in question admitted their crimes, expressed remorse, and personally petitioned Lukashenko for a pardon.

Belarusian authorities announced that the decision was made in consideration of “humanitarian considerations and the interests of families,” taking into account the prisoners’ positive records.

The number of people released in 2025 has reached 365

This latest step marks the tenth pardon decree signed by the Belarusian leader within 2025. As a result of these decisions targeting those who committed crimes classified as “extremism” by the country’s judicial authorities, a total of 365 people have been released throughout the year as of December 30.

Lukashenko had previously pardoned 123 people convicted of espionage, terrorism, and extremism on December 13. Similar decisions were taken during the year before important official holidays such as Victory Day, Independence Day, and National Unity Day.

Diplomatic traffic between Minsk and Washington

The pardon process, which began in 2024 and resulted in the release of 195 people, also paved the way for diplomatic contacts between Belarus and the US. Since the beginning of 2025, US administration representatives have visited Belarus at least six times.

US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy John Coale traveled to Belarus in April, September, and December to hold meetings. As a result of these visits, the US partially lifted sanctions against Belarus’s national airline, Belavia.

Furthermore, the Washington administration announced that it plans to resume operations at the US Embassy in Minsk, which has been closed since 2022, in the near future.