{"id":169564,"date":"2025-12-24T16:39:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T13:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"lukasenka-releases-569-prisoners-since-july-2024-189-forced-into-exile","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0141uka\u0161enka releases 569 prisoners since July 2024, 189 forced into exile"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>December 24, <em>Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Belarusian leader Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka ordered the release of 342 prisoners\u2014mostly government opponents\u2014this year under agreements with the United States. Since July 2024, a total of 569 prisoners have been released before completing their sentences, according to the Viasna Human Rights Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of those released, 189 were forcibly expelled from the country without being given the option to remain in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Viasna described releases conditioned on exile as \u201ca new tool of political pressure\u201d that violates the Belarusian Constitution and international law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of December 23, Belarus still holds 1,135 documented political prisoners, Viasna reported. More than 1,700 political prisoners have fully served their sentences and been released overall, including at least 300 in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"insert-block\">\n\n    <div class=\"insert-block__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"354\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pozirk_color_blank_1128x752-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pozirk_color_blank_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pozirk_color_blank_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pozirk_color_blank_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pozirk_color_blank_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pozirk_color_blank_1128x752.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Politics<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">Politics<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Reprisals: jailed dissidents face harassment in Homiel region<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">December 24, Pozirk. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on December 23 with new reports coming in of harassment at a pre-trial detention center in Kalinkavi\u010dy, Homiel region. Jailed regime critics held there were banned from using &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/news\/169490\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>December 24, Pozirk. Belarusian leader Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka ordered the release of 342 prisoners\u2014mostly government opponents\u2014this year under agreements with the United States. Since July 2024, a total of 569 prisoners have been released before completing their sentences, according to the Viasna Human Rights Center. Of those released, 189 were forcibly expelled from the country without [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":76701,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-169564","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u0141uka\u0161enka releases 569 prisoners since July 2024, 189 forced into exile | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"December 24, Pozirk. Belarusian leader Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka ordered the release of 342 prisoners\u2014mostly government opponents\u2014this year under agreements\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u0141uka\u0161enka releases 569 prisoners since July 2024, 189 forced into exile | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"December 24, Pozirk. Belarusian leader Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka ordered the release of 342 prisoners\u2014mostly government opponents\u2014this year under agreements\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/izoliator_advokatos_by.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"745\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Pozirk_online\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/\"},\"headline\":\"\u0141uka\u0161enka releases 569 prisoners since July 2024, 189 forced into exile\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-24T13:39:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/\"},\"wordCount\":119,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/izoliator_advokatos_by.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/\",\"name\":\"\u0141uka\u0161enka releases 569 prisoners since July 2024, 189 forced into exile | Pozirk\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/izoliator_advokatos_by.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-24T13:39:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"December 24, Pozirk. Belarusian leader Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka ordered the release of 342 prisoners\u2014mostly government opponents\u2014this year under agreements\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/izoliator_advokatos_by.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/izoliator_advokatos_by.jpg\",\"width\":745,\"height\":500},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u0141uka\u0161enka releases 569 prisoners since July 2024, 189 forced into exile\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Pozirk\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Pozirk\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Pozirk\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Pozirk_online\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u0141uka\u0161enka releases 569 prisoners since July 2024, 189 forced into exile | Pozirk","description":"December 24, Pozirk. Belarusian leader Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka ordered the release of 342 prisoners\u2014mostly government opponents\u2014this year under agreements","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u0141uka\u0161enka releases 569 prisoners since July 2024, 189 forced into exile | Pozirk","og_description":"December 24, Pozirk. Belarusian leader Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka ordered the release of 342 prisoners\u2014mostly government opponents\u2014this year under agreements","og_url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/","og_site_name":"Pozirk","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/","article_modified_time":"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":745,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/izoliator_advokatos_by.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Pozirk_online","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/"},"headline":"\u0141uka\u0161enka releases 569 prisoners since July 2024, 189 forced into exile","datePublished":"2025-12-24T13:39:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/"},"wordCount":119,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/izoliator_advokatos_by.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/","name":"\u0141uka\u0161enka releases 569 prisoners since July 2024, 189 forced into exile | Pozirk","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/izoliator_advokatos_by.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-24T13:39:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00","description":"December 24, Pozirk. Belarusian leader Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka ordered the release of 342 prisoners\u2014mostly government opponents\u2014this year under agreements","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/izoliator_advokatos_by.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/izoliator_advokatos_by.jpg","width":745,"height":500},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169564\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u0141uka\u0161enka releases 569 prisoners since July 2024, 189 forced into exile"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/","name":"Pozirk","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization","name":"Pozirk","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Pozirk"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Pozirk_online"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/169564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"rubric","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rubric?post=169564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}