Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya said she is pleased that 30 people have been pardoned in Belarus and released from jail but noted that the move barely makes a dent in the number of people imprisoned in the country "in politically motivated cases."
"I am very happy about the release of a number of political prisoners," Tsikhanouskaya said on August 16 on Telegram. "I am glad that families will finally be reunited -- and those who have not seen each other for weeks, months, and years will finally have the opportunity to hug and talk."
But she said the reality is that detentions in Belarus continue and the number of political prisoners is growing.
"More than 1,400 people are still behind bars in politically motivated cases. And there are those who will decide not to agree to the terms, and those who will never be offered them," she said. "Therefore, we will continue to be their voices and do everything in our power to ensure that each of these people is released as soon as possible."
A statement posted on the website of authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka's office earlier on August 16 said he signed a decree pardoning 14 women and 16 men who had been convicted of "crimes of a protest nature." Some of those pardoned have serious illnesses or are retirement age, the statement said.
The Vyasna human rights center earlier this week said it had received evidence that political prisoners throughout the country were being forced to write petitions for clemency to Lukashenka.
SEE ALSO: 'They Remain In Torturous Conditions': The Prisoners Left Behind In Russia After Historic ExchangeVyasna reported last month that representatives of the Prosecutor-General's Office went to colony No. 1 in Novopolotsk every day and force political prisoners to write petitions for clemency.
In addition to her message on Telegram, Tsikhanouskaya posted a statement on her website saying that she talks about political prisoners in Belarus at every international meeting she attends.
"You know that this issue is particularly personal for me. The regime has kept my husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, out of public sight for 527 days. Our children ask about their father every day, and all I can do is comfort them with the hope that he will soon come back home," she said.
Tsikhanouskaya, 41, is a former teacher who ran for president in Belarus in 2020 after her husband was barred by the regime from doing so and imprisoned.
While the official results handed Lukashenka victory and his sixth consecutive term in office, the opposition and many Western governments and organizations say the poll was rigged and that Tsikhanouskaya was the actual winner.
She was forced to flee to Lithuania during a brutal crackdown on a wave of pro-democracy protests that erupted after the election.