{"id":201589,"date":"2026-08-28T14:50:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T11:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/201589\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T14:50:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T11:50:35","slug":"moscow-based-nobel-laureate-announces-special-prize-for-us-envoy-for-liberating-belarusian-political-prisoners","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/201589\/","title":{"rendered":"Moscow-based Nobel laureate announces special prize for US envoy for liberating Belarusian political prisoners\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\n John Coale\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Pul Pervogo) <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

August 28, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> US Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale, who spearheads Washington\u2019s efforts to liberate Belarusian political prisoners, was named as the winner of a Special Prize for Saving Lives at an ceremony hosted by independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta<\/em> in Moscow on August 27. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defying severe risks associated with voicing dissident views in modern-day Russia, Novaya Gazeta<\/em>\u2019s chief editor and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov distributed Kamerton awards in the traditional ceremony in honor of the newspaper\u2019s journalist Anna Politkovskaya assassinated in 2006. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organizers described Coale as a person who had \u201cextricated almost 500 Belarusian political prisoners from jail.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

US President Donald Trump appointed John Coale as special envoy for Belarus in November 2025. Following the last meeting with a Coale-led US delegation on March 19, 2026, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka ordered the release of 250 political prisoners, of whom 235 were allowed to stay in Belarus and 15 were taken to Lithuania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In total, more than 400 political prisoners have been released as a result of talks between Minsk and Washington. In exchange, the United States is gradually lifting sanctions against the \u0141uka\u0161enka regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview<\/a> published by The New York Times<\/em> on August 22, Coale said that he wants to \u201cget the rest of Belarus\u2019s political prisoners out of jail.\u201d He was quoted as saying that he is expecting \u201canother big exchange very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coale also revealed that Russian Nobel laureate\u00a0Dmitry Muratov\u00a0had approached him with a request to help organize an exchange of civilian prisoners between Russia and Ukraine. The American diplomat said\u00a0that\u00a0he had received financial commitments from two organizations to relocate released prisoners to other countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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US envoy Coale hopeful for more dissident releases in Belarus<\/h3>\n
August 16, Pozirk.US Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale has replied \u201cyes\u201d to an X user Jana Kavalova, who asked whether more jailed dissidents could be released in Belarus soon. Last month, Kavalova appealed to Coale to help her brother, …<\/div>\n \n