INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Belarus's top jailed opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky was freed alongside over a dozen other political prisoners on Saturday in a
surprise release hailed as a "symbol of hope".His wife Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who took the mantle of the opposition after his jailing, said
the United States helped broker the deal and thanked U.S
President Donald Trump.Tikhanovsky, 46, had been imprisoned for more than five years.He planned to run against incumbent Belarusian leader
with the caption: "FREE"."It's hard to describe the joy in my heart," she said in a post on X.Thirteen others were released, including Radio
Liberty journalist Igor Karnei, who was arrested in 2023 and jailed for participating in an "extremist" organisation.They have now been
transferred from Belarus to Lithuania, where they are receiving "proper care", Lithuanian foreign minister Kestutis Budrys said.The
announcement came just hours after Lukashenko met US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk, the highest profile visit of a US official to the
authoritarian state in years.Belarus, ruled by Lukashenko since 1994, has outlawed all genuine opposition parties and is the only European
country to retain the death penalty as a punishment.The eastern European country still holds over 1,000 political prisoners in its jails,
according to Viasna.Swedish-Belarusian citizen Galina Krasnyanskaya, arrested in 2023 for allegedly supporting Ukraine, was also freed,
and Belarus's chief ally Russia under Trump.Since taking office, the Republican has engaged in direct talks with Vladimir Putin, ending his
predecessor's policy of isolating the Russian President.Tikhanovsky was for years held incommunicado, and in 2023 his wife was told that he
had "died".In a video published by Viasna on Saturday, he appeared almost unrecognisable, his head shaven and face emaciated.Tikhanovsky was
sentenced in 2021 to 18 years in prison for "organising riots" and "inciting hatred" and then to 18 months extra for "insubordination".A
charismatic activist, Tikhanovsky drew the ire of authorities for describing Lukashenko as a "cockroach" and his campaign slogan was "Stop
the cockroach."Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in the 2020 election, a result that sparked massive opposition protests which
authorities violently suppressed.The Belarusian autocrat claimed a record seventh term in elections earlier this year that observers blasted
as a farce.Fellow Belarusian political activists and foreign politicians welcomed the release.Poland's foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski
said the "free world" needed Tikhanovsky."My sincerest joy goes out to you, Tikhanovskaya and your entire family," he wrote on X.Former
Belarusian culture minister Pavel Latushko, who supported the 2020 protests against Lukashenko, said all those released had been jailed
illegally and hailed Tikhanovsky's release as an "important moment".European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed Tikhanovsky's release
and called for Belarus to free its other political prisoners."This is fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political
prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenko regime," she said on X.Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Tikhanovsky's release
was "fantastically good news.""At the same time, we must not forget the many other prisoners in Belarus
Lukashenko must finally release them," he said on X.
