MINSK -- The leader of the opposition Belarusian Popular Front, Ryhor Kastusyou, who was serving a lengthy prison term, has been released after the country's authoritarian ruler signed a law on a mass amnesty to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from Nazi Germany.
Kastusyou's son-in-law, Dzmitry Antonchyk, who resides in Poland, told RFE/RL that the 67-year-old politician was released on July 3.
Kastusyou, a presidential candidate in 2010, was convicted in September 2022 of conspiracy to seize power and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He spent more than three years in prison including his time in pretrial detention.
While in prison, Kastusyou was diagnosed with cancer.
The Vyasna (Spring) human rights group said on July 3 that, in all, four political prisoners, including two women, were released from prison under the amnesty law that was made public earlier in the day. Vyasna did not mention the names of the people released, citing privacy reasons.
Authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed the law on July 2. According to the official announcement, the amnesty will affect 7, 850 convicts, of whom 2,090 will be released, while the remainder of the suspended sentences of 800 people will be forgiven and the administrative arrests of 40 people will be canceled. The prison sentences of 260 people will be replaced by parole-like sentences, while 4,550 convicts will have their terms cut by one year.
The Crisis In Belarus
Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
On July 2, Lukashenka publicly said that some of those serving prison terms for taking part in 2020 mass protests against official results of the presidential poll that named him the winner may be released. Lukashenka stressed, however, that mostly "seriously ill, mainly persons with cancer," will be eligible for early release.
As of July 3, there are 1,409 political prisoners in Belarus recognized by human rights groups, while the actual number of those convicted on politically motivated charges may be higher.
The Vyasna (Spring) human rights group said earlier that as of May 1, there were at least 254 political prisoners in Belarus with serious medical conditions or disabilities.
Lukashenka's decree says that "the amnesty will not be applied to persons involved in extremist and terrorist activities."
Since the 2020 mass protests challenging the official result of the presidential election that many in Belarus and abroad said was rigged, Belarusian authorities have added more than 4,000 to the registry of extremists. The Belarusian KGB has added more than 400 persons to the list of "terrorists" since then.
Lukashenka, 69, has been in power since 1994. He has tightened his grip on the country since the August 2020 election by arresting -- sometimes violently -- more than 35,000 people. Fearing for their safety, most opposition members have fled the country.
The West has refused to recognize the results of the election and does not consider Lukashenka to be the country's legitimate leader.
Many countries have imposed sanctions against Lukashenka's regime in response to the suppression of dissent in the country.