Belarus: Jailed opposition leader Tsikhanouski released
Minsk, Belarus – Belarus' Nasha Niva newspaper on Saturday first reported that opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski and 13 others had been released from prison, where he had been incarcerated since 2020.
Tsikhanouski, one of the leaders of the country's opposition movement, was pardoned, according to rights group Viasna.
A regime-critical blogger, Tsikhanouski intended to challenge Alexander Lukashenko for the presidency, but he was locked up by the strongman before the election.
Tsikhanouski's wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who ran against Lukashenko in her husband's place and has played a leading role in the Belarus opposition since, released a video of his release on Saturday, thanking the US for its efforts.
'My husband is free. It's difficult to describe the joy in my heart,' she said. However, Tsikhanouskaya lamented that many others remain behind bars in Belarus and called for the release of a further 1,150 prisoners, writing on X: 'We're not done.'
Tsikhanouski's release coincided with a rare high-level visit to the country by US Special Envoy for Ukraine General Keith Kellogg.
Kellogg was in Minsk for talks with Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an effort to facilitate an end to Moscow's ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine.
Refuge in Lithuania
All 14 released prisoners have been transferred to Lithuania, where they are receiving 'proper care', the neighbouring country's government said. Five Belarus nationals were released along with three Poles, two Latvians, two Japanese citizens and one Swede.
'Today, 14 political prisoners – including Sergei Tsikhanouski – who were imprisoned by the (Belarusian) regime, have been successfully released. They are now safe in Lithuania and are receiving proper care. The US role in the release has been critical,' Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said on X.
Among those released by Belarus was Ihar Karnei, a former journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement, as he thanked US President Donald Trump and others.
'We thank Secretary Rubio and his team, the Lithuanian government, and the international community for their support of our imprisoned journalists,' he added.
European leaders hail release
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed his delight at Tsikhanouski's release from prison. He also called on Minsk to release other prisoners.
'It is fantastically good news that Sergei Tsikhanouski is finally free. At the same time, we must not forget the many other prisoners in Belarus. Lukashenko must finally release them,' Wadephul wrote on X.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen took the same tone on X, where she was quick to hail the release of Tsikhanouski but urged Lukashenko to free all political prisoners.
'This is fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenka regime. Europe continues to call for their immediate release,' Von der Leyen wrote on X.
Former Belarusian Culture Minister Pavel Latushko, who supported the 2020 protests against Lukashenko, said all those released had been jailed illegally and hailed Tsikhanouski's release as an 'important moment'.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the 'free world' needed Tsikhanouski. 'My sincerest joy goes out to you, Tsikhanouskaya and your entire family,' he wrote on X.
DW
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
3 hours ago
- Observer
Ukraine army chief vows to expand strikes on Russia
KYIV: Ukraine's top military commander vowed to increase the "scale and depth" of strikes on Russia in remarks made public on Sunday, saying Kyiv would not sit idly by while Moscow prolonged its three-year war. Diplomatic efforts to end the war have stalled in recent weeks. The last direct meeting between the two sides was almost three weeks ago and no follow-up talks have been scheduled. Russian attacks on Ukraine have killed dozens of people during the interim, including in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, according to officials. "We will not just sit in defence. Because this brings nothing and eventually leads to the fact that we still retreat, lose people and territories," Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky told reporters. Syrsky said Ukraine would continue its strikes on Russian military targets, which he said had proved "effective". "Of course, we will continue. We will increase the scale and depth," he said. Ukraine has launched retaliatory strikes on Russia throughout the war, targeting energy and military infrastructure sometimes hundreds of kilometres from the front line. Kyiv says the strikes are a fair response to deadly Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians. In wide-ranging remarks, Syrsky also conceded that Russia had some advantages in drone warfare, particularly in making fibre-optic drones that are tethered and difficult to jam. "Here, unfortunately, they have an advantage in both the number and range of their use," he said. He also claimed that Ukraine still held 90 square kilometres (35 square miles) of territory in Russia's Kursk region, where Kyiv launched an audacious cross-border incursion last August. "These are our pre-emptive actions in response to a possible enemy offensive," he said. Russia said in April that it had gained full control of the Kursk region and denies that Kyiv has a presence there. Moscow occupies around a fifth of Ukraine and claims to have annexed four Ukrainian regions as its own since launching its war in 2022 -- in addition to Crimea, which it captured in 2014. Kyiv has accused Moscow of deliberately sabotaging a peace deal to prolong its full-scale offensive on the country and to seize more territory. The Russian army said on Sunday that it had captured the village of Petrivske in Ukraine's northeast Kharkiv region. Russian forces also fired at least 47 drones and three missiles at Ukraine between late Saturday and early Sunday, the Ukrainian air force said. At least two people were killed in the attacks on Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, including a 17-year-old boy, the region's governor said. On Saturday, Kyiv received the bodies of 20 Russian soldiers instead of Ukrainian ones during exchanges of war dead with Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. He accused Russia of "not checking" who they were sending, and suggested Moscow might be doing it on purpose to conflate the number of Ukrainian bodies they had. The repatriation of fallen soldiers and the exchange of prisoners of war has been one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring sides since Moscow attacked Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow and Kyiv agreed earlier this month during talks in Istanbul to exchange the bodies of 6,000 soldiers each. "It has already been confirmed during repatriations that the bodies of 20 people handed over to us as our deceased soldiers are Russian," Zelensky said in remarks released on Saturday. "Sometimes these bodies even have Russian passports," he added. — AFP
Muscat Daily
6 hours ago
- Muscat Daily
Belarus: Jailed opposition leader Tsikhanouski released
Minsk, Belarus – Belarus' Nasha Niva newspaper on Saturday first reported that opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski and 13 others had been released from prison, where he had been incarcerated since 2020. Tsikhanouski, one of the leaders of the country's opposition movement, was pardoned, according to rights group Viasna. A regime-critical blogger, Tsikhanouski intended to challenge Alexander Lukashenko for the presidency, but he was locked up by the strongman before the election. Tsikhanouski's wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who ran against Lukashenko in her husband's place and has played a leading role in the Belarus opposition since, released a video of his release on Saturday, thanking the US for its efforts. 'My husband is free. It's difficult to describe the joy in my heart,' she said. However, Tsikhanouskaya lamented that many others remain behind bars in Belarus and called for the release of a further 1,150 prisoners, writing on X: 'We're not done.' Tsikhanouski's release coincided with a rare high-level visit to the country by US Special Envoy for Ukraine General Keith Kellogg. Kellogg was in Minsk for talks with Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an effort to facilitate an end to Moscow's ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine. Refuge in Lithuania All 14 released prisoners have been transferred to Lithuania, where they are receiving 'proper care', the neighbouring country's government said. Five Belarus nationals were released along with three Poles, two Latvians, two Japanese citizens and one Swede. 'Today, 14 political prisoners – including Sergei Tsikhanouski – who were imprisoned by the (Belarusian) regime, have been successfully released. They are now safe in Lithuania and are receiving proper care. The US role in the release has been critical,' Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said on X. Among those released by Belarus was Ihar Karnei, a former journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement, as he thanked US President Donald Trump and others. 'We thank Secretary Rubio and his team, the Lithuanian government, and the international community for their support of our imprisoned journalists,' he added. European leaders hail release German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed his delight at Tsikhanouski's release from prison. He also called on Minsk to release other prisoners. 'It is fantastically good news that Sergei Tsikhanouski is finally free. At the same time, we must not forget the many other prisoners in Belarus. Lukashenko must finally release them,' Wadephul wrote on X. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen took the same tone on X, where she was quick to hail the release of Tsikhanouski but urged Lukashenko to free all political prisoners. 'This is fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenka regime. Europe continues to call for their immediate release,' Von der Leyen wrote on X. Former Belarusian Culture Minister Pavel Latushko, who supported the 2020 protests against Lukashenko, said all those released had been jailed illegally and hailed Tsikhanouski's release as an 'important moment'. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the 'free world' needed Tsikhanouski. 'My sincerest joy goes out to you, Tsikhanouskaya and your entire family,' he wrote on X. DW
Muscat Daily
10 hours ago
- Muscat Daily
Neo-Russian art exhibition opens at National Museum
Muscat – The National Museum on Saturday inaugurated the Neo-Russian Style exhibition, presented in collaboration with the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, under the patronage of H E Qais bin Mohammed al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion. The exhibition is part of the wider cultural initiative 'The Russian Seasons' and will run until November 2, 2025. Showcasing a collection of artworks and historical pieces, the exhibition highlights the Neo-Russian style that developed during the reigns of Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Visitors can explore applied arts, portraits, court costumes and imperial gifts that reflect the grandeur of Imperial Russia. Among the highlights are a silver presentation dish given to Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna by oilmen of the Absheron Peninsula in 1888, and a silver saltcellar presented to Emperor Nicholas II after his Eastern journey in 1890–1891. Also on display are a lace fan once owned by Empress Maria Feodorovna, a portrait by Sofya Yunker-Kramskaya, and elaborate masquerade costumes worn by members of the Russian aristocracy, including a grand costume worn by Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna at the 1903 Winter Palace masquerade. Jamal Hassan al Moosawi, Secretary-General of the National Museum, described the exhibition as a cornerstone of Oman-Russia cultural cooperation and part of ongoing efforts to strengthen ties with Russian institutions. He said the museum plans further collaborations, including musical seasons at Bayt Al Greiza, an exhibition on Omani fine art with the State Tretyakov Gallery, and Imperial Russia and the East in partnership with the Moscow Kremlin Museums. H E Oleg Vladimirovich Levin, Ambassador of Russia to Oman, called the exhibition a strong example of cultural diplomacy and a bridge between two nations that share an appreciation for heritage. Professor Dr Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum and member of the National Museum's Board of Trustees, noted the historical importance of the pieces on display in a video address, adding that future joint initiatives include a new exhibition at the Oman Hall in St Petersburg. The Neo-Russian Style exhibition follows other successful joint projects under the Russian Seasons banner. Earlier this year, the National Museum hosted Gifts of the Emirs of Bukhara and Central Asia to the Russian Imperial Court. Meanwhile, the Oman Hall at the Hermitage has attracted strong interest, with its second major exhibition, 'The Omani Empire Between Asia and Africa', drawing more than 414,000 visitors between December 2023 and January 2025.
