German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with former Belarusian political prisoner Maria Kalesnikava. On 15 January, he received her at his residence in Bellevue Palace, Deutsche Welle Belarus reported.
Kalesnikava left an entry in the guest book, where Nobel laureate in literature Svetlana Alexievich had previously written a similar message.
“It is wonderful to see you free again,” Frank-Walter Steinmeier said to Kalesnikava in front of journalists.
In January 2022, Maria Kalesnikava was sentenced to 11 years in prison, accused of attempting to seize power, publicly calling for actions aimed at harming national security, and creating an extremist organisation. In November 2022, she underwent surgery in hospital. Since February 2023, she had been held incommunicado. In November 2024, she was allowed to meet her father.
Kalesnikava was among 123 political prisoners released on 13 December 2025. Most of the people were taken by Belarusian authorities to Ukraine and later travelled to EU countries. Eighty-seven arrived in Poland, and 20 in Lithuania. Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka were officially received by Germany.
