The release, just hours ago, of 123 Belarusian political prisoners—including political activist and musician Maria Kolesnikova and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski—is a source of great satisfaction. We share this moment of joy with all those released and with their families. This long-awaited development is the result of the tireless efforts of the democratic forces across the country, led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, President of the Belarusian United Transitional Cabinet, who has shown extraordinary tenacity and determination in consistently urging the international community to take concrete action for the release of all political prisoners held by the Minsk regime.
In recent days, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya paid an important visit to Rome, where she held parliamentary meetings—particularly in the Senate—to discuss in depth the situation in Belarus and the threat the regime poses to its own people, as well as to peace and European security, due to Minsk’s close alliance with the Kremlin in the criminal war of aggression against Ukraine.
While this release represents an important step forward, it must be urgently followed by the unconditional release of all political prisoners still held in Belarusian prisons. Continued and effective action against the Lukashenko regime is also necessary to ensure the return of the thousands of Ukrainian children deported by Minsk on behalf of Moscow, and to put an end to hybrid attacks against EU Member States, including those carried out with balloons over Lithuania, which resulted in airport closures and the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
Giulio Terzi