250 Belarusians freed after Washington lifts sanctions on banks and potash – regime calls it “humanitarian”

Belarus has released 250 political prisoners following an agreement with the United States to ease sanctions on key state institutions, according to reports by Zerkalo on 19 March.

Belarus has faced US and EU sanctions for years over authoritarian rule and human rights abuses, with restrictions expanded after the 2020 crackdown on protests and further tightened over Minsk’s support for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

Lukashenka frames release as humanitarian gesture

The mass pardon was announced by the press service of Aliaksandr Lukashenka, which presented the decision as a humanitarian step. Authorities said it was based on appeals from relatives and recommendations from a state commission led by the prosecutor general.

The timing, however, points to a negotiated exchange rather than a purely domestic decision.

The release followed a meeting in Minsk between Lukashenka and US special envoy John Coale, where the Belarusian leader signaled readiness to comply with agreements concerning political prisoners.

Washington lifts restrictions on banks and potash

At the same time, the United States moved to lift sanctions on several major Belarusian entities, including Belinvestbank, the Development Bank, and the Finance Ministry. Restrictions were also removed from key potash producers, a critical sector for Belarus’s economy.

According to the US Embassy in Vilnius, 15 of the released prisoners were transferred to Lithuania after their release.

A pattern three rounds in the making

This is not the first such arrangement. After earlier talks between Lukashenka and the US envoy in December 2025, Washington eased restrictions on Belarusian potash exports, followed by the release of more than 100 detainees.

A similar exchange took place in September 2025, when the United States lifted sanctions on the state airline Belavia, after which Belarus released 52 political prisoners.

The recent shift comes as the administration of Donald Trump has shown greater willingness to engage with the Belarusian dictatorship and a broader openness to easing sanctions, creating space for deals such as the latest prisoner release.

Hundreds remain in custody

The latest development suggests a continuing pattern in which Minsk links the release of political prisoners to sanctions relief, using them as leverage in negotiations with Western governments.

Human rights groups say hundreds of political prisoners have been held in Belarus since the crackdown that followed the disputed 2020 presidential election. While this release is one of the largest in recent years, many remain in custody.