Viasna: Several Dozen More Political Prisoners Were Prepared for Release on September 16

Reform.news Editorial Team · 7 October 2026, 15:29

https://reform.news/en/viasna-several-dozen-more-political-prisoners-were-prepared-for-release-on-september-16/

Several dozen political prisoners in Belarus were prepared for release on September 16, but at the last moment they remained behind bars. The human rights center Viasna reports.

According to human rights defenders, ahead of another pardon wave following Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s talks with a US delegation led by US President’s Special Envoy John Coale, relatives of some political prisoners were told that they would be able to meet their loved ones on the morning of September 16.

According to a source, at one of the correctional colonies, more than 10 political prisoners had already received release documents, packed their belongings and been taken to an assembly hall, where they were supposed to wait for transport. Some had even managed to give some of their belongings to other prisoners. However, after lunch they were told that the release would not take place and were returned to their units.

According to Viasna, the psychological condition of some prisoners deteriorated sharply afterward, and several required medical assistance. That same day, parcels from relatives were not accepted for some of them because they were no longer listed as prisoners at the colony. Human rights defenders say they are aware of similar cases at other correctional facilities.

Viasna human rights defender Valiantsin Stefanovich, who was released in a pardon and deported to Lithuania on March 19, said he had experienced a similar situation himself.

“My situation was not as tragic as the one described in the story, because those people had actually already been gathered and taken out. In my case, it was somewhat different. In January 2026, there were eight of us in the cell [at Mogilev Prison No. 4], three of whom were political prisoners. We were taken out into the corridor one by one. There, a guard told me that I would be released the next day, but that I would have to leave the country.

On the one hand, I realized that something strange was happening because it was a guard telling me this, rather than some officer. On the other hand, when a member of the administration whom you tend to trust tells you something, it is clear that this was not his personal initiative to ‘have a laugh.’ So I was extremely excited, and then came this kind of euphoria because I realized that it would all be over the next day. I also gave away all my belongings to the guys in the cell,” he said.

However, his release took place only on March 19.

“Not every person’s psyche can withstand this while being in those places. A person can fall into depression or suffer a nervous breakdown because of such a swing in mood from euphoria to a feeling of hopelessness. But this is a blow not only to the prisoners but also to their relatives. In my case, it was announced in December that I had supposedly also been released, but I was not. And this had a very serious impact on my mother, my sister and my wife. It is very difficult to endure,” the human rights defender said.

A total of 25 political prisoners were released from prison and forcibly taken to Lithuania on September 16 as part of another pardon wave.