Дэймон Уилсон. Фото: ned.org
Damon Wilson, president and chief executive officer of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), commented on the release of Belarusian political prisoners, thanking U.S. President’s Special Envoy John Coale for his work to secure their release.
“Grateful for John Coale’s relentless work to bring Belarus’s political prisoners home. It was especially meaningful to have the Special Envoy with us at Mount Vernon last week to honor Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski with NED’s Democracy Service Medal. Every prisoner freed matters. And the work continues until all those unjustly imprisoned for exercising their fundamental freedoms are free,” he wrote on X.
Today, following talks between Coale and Aliaksandr Lukashenka, 25 people were released. They were taken from Belarus to Lithuania. In exchange, the United States will lift sanctions on Bellesprom and Lakokraska. Coale also said that the release of political prisoners and the lifting of sanctions will continue.