US Welcomes Release Of Political Prisoners In Belarus - State Department

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th September, 2022) The United States welcomes the release of several political prisoners in Belarus, saying that this is a step in the right direction, the US State Department said.

"The United States welcomes the release of several political prisoners in Belarus including Aleh Hurzdzilovich, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist. While the release of these political prisoners is a step in the right direction, too many political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus," the US State Department said in a statement on Sunday.

The State Department also called for the "immediate and unconditional" release of all political prisoners.

Hurzdzilovich was a journalist of the Belarusian Radio Liberty (recognized as a foreign media agent in Russia) and spent almost nine months in prison for participating in opposition rallies.

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said earlier in September that he plans to improve the legislation on citizenship and amnesty, adding that people who have committed a crime by negligence, including the opposition members, can be pardoned if they understand what they have done. Belarusian chief prosecutor Andrei Shved stated that over 8,000 could be pardoned.