the United States is lifting sanctions on two Belarusian companies: paint manufacturer Lakokraska and forestry group Bellesbumprom. Hundreds remain imprisoned in Moscow-allied Belarus, where President Alexander Lukashenko — in power since 1994 — crushed mass protests against his disputed 2020 re-election. Washington has reopened dialogue with Minsk and eased some sanctions, with Coale's visits producing several prisoner releases since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

"Twenty-five prisoners are free today!" Coale posted on social media, sharing an image with the group, who were expected to be taken to neighboring Lithuania. Those released included journalists such as Lyudmila Chekina, former head of the shuttered news website Tut.by, and reporters Andrei Alexandrov and Irina Zlobina, who married behind bars after being jailed for their work. Activists were freed too, among them Yana Pinchuk, arrested in Russia in 2021 and deported to Belarus at the request of the Belarusian KGB — despite the UN human rights committee urging Moscow not to hand her over. Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya thanked the United States for the ‘difficult negotiations’ and voiced hope for further releases, saying: "Every person released is a victory." Western countries imposed sanctions on Belarus over its 2020 crackdown and added more restrictions in 2022 after Minsk let Moscow launch its invasion of Ukraine through Belarusian territory. The independent Viasna rights group, which tracks arrests, says almost 900 political prisoners remain in the country. Rights groups warn the government is jailing people even as it frees others. Last week a court sentenced lawyer Dmitry Layevsky to three years; he had stayed in Belarus and represented opposition figure Viktor Babaryko, freed last year though his son remains imprisoned. Trump's administration restarted contact with Minsk last year as Washington seeks to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine. (Bssnews)