Lukashenko pardons 32 political prisoners convicted of “extremism”

MADRID 20 Nov. () –

The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has ordered the pardon of 32 political prisoners convicted of “extremism”, in line with other types of similar gestures adopted in recent months and which, according to the opposition, cannot hide that “the repression continues “.

The latest set of pardons includes 24 men and eight women. Of the 32 cases, 17 correspond to people with chronic illnesses and one more to a prisoner who has a disability, while nine of the inmates are over 50 years old, according to the official BelTA agency.

The main opposition leader, Svetlana Tijanovskaya, exiled since the 2020 elections, has expressed on social networks her “joy” at the release from prison of “another 39 political prisoners”, but has called not to forget the “harsh reality” that lives in Belarus.

“The repression continues and the number of political prisoners continues to grow,” he warned. The opposition fears, in fact, that the persecution will intensify before new presidential elections are held in January, in which Lukashenko will once again run.

The president, the only leader Belarus has known since the fall of the Soviet Union, won in 2020 in an election questioned by both the internal opposition and most of the international community.