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Julia Fenner, a dual UK-Belarus citizen, and the wife of a British diplomat, was recently released from prison in Belarus as part of a broader agreement made with the US. Following her detention on the border in March 2024, she was given a lengthy jail sentence last month. The release of fifty-two prisoners on Thursday was a result of a deal between US President Donald Trump and Belarusian authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In exchange for the release of political prisoners, the US agreed to ease some sanctions on Belarusian airline Belavia, allowing the carrier to purchase parts for its airplanes. UK Europe Minister Stephen Doughty praised the release as a significant breakthrough and acknowledged the substantial diplomatic efforts made by the US to secure the outcome. However, despite the positive development, over 1,000 political prisoners still remain incarcerated in Belarus.
Julia Fenner, who previously worked at the British embassy in Minsk before marrying British diplomat Martin Fenner, was recognized by human rights groups as a political prisoner. According to reports, she was accused of active participation in actions that grossly violate public order and providing assistance to extremist activities. Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, described the release of prisoners as a humanitarian gesture following a meeting with Donald Trump’s special envoy in the capital Minsk.
Belarus’s exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya expressed concern over the forced deportation of the prisoners, emphasizing that real freedom was not attained. She highlighted the case of veteran dissident Mikola Statkevich, who refused to leave Belarus and crossed into Lithuania. Statkevich, who ran against Lukashenko in the 2010 presidential elections and was previously imprisoned for five years, is now reportedly missing. Despite his release, he is determined to stay in Belarus until the country is free from Lukashenko’s rule
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