Belarus Opposition Leader Sergei Tikhanovsky Freed After 5 Years In US-Brokered Deal

Belarus’ prominent opposition figure Sergei Tikhanovsky was released on June 21, along with over a dozen other political prisoners.

Sergei Tikhanovsky Spent Over Five Years In Jail

Tikhanovsky, 46, had been jailed for more than five years after his arrest weeks before the August 2020 presidential election. He had planned to run against the incumbent Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko but was detained before the vote took place.

His wife, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who stepped into the political arena following his imprisonment, posted a video of their reunion on June 21.

“FREE.” She described the moment on X, saying, “It’s hard to describe the joy in my heart.”

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The Role of US in the Release Sergei Tikhanovsky

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya credited the United States for helping broker the deal and thanked US President Donald Trump for his role in securing her husband’s freedom.

Thirteen others were also freed, including Radio Liberty journalist Igor Karnei, arrested in 2023 on charges related to participating in an “extremist” organisation. The released individuals were transferred from Belarus to Lithuania, where they are now receiving “proper care,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys confirmed.

The announcement followed a high-profile meeting in Minsk between Belarusian President Lukashenko and US special envoy Keith Kellogg — the most significant US official visit to Belarus in years.

Despite Release of Sergei Tikhanovsky, More Than Thousand Still In Prison 

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, has outlawed all genuine opposition parties. Belarus remains the only European country to maintain the death penalty.

Despite the release, over 1,000 political prisoners are reportedly still held in Belarusian jails, according to human rights group Viasna.

Sergei Tikhanovsky was sentenced in 2021 to 18 years in prison on charges of “organising riots” and “inciting hatred,” followed by an additional 18 months for “insubordination.” He was held incommunicado for years, and in 2023, his wife was wrongly informed that he had died.

A video published by Viasna on the day of his release showed Tikhanovsky looking almost unrecognisable, with a shaved head and an emaciated face.

World Reacts on Release of Sergei Tikhanovsky

Lukashenko declared a landslide victory in the disputed 2020 election, triggering mass protests that were met with violent crackdowns by authorities. He secured a seventh term in elections held earlier this year, widely criticised by observers as fraudulent.

The release was widely welcomed by Belarusian activists and international politicians. Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski tweeted, “The free world needs Mr Tikhanovsky. My sincerest joy goes out to you, Tikhanovskaya and your entire family.”

Former Belarusian Culture Minister Pavel Latushko, a supporter of the 2020 protests, called the release “an important moment” and described the freed prisoners as having been jailed illegally.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the release as “fantastic news” and a “powerful symbol of hope” for those still imprisoned under Lukashenko’s regime. She urged Belarus to free all political prisoners.

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