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Belarusian leader Lukashenko pardons 32 prisoners, his administration says

By Thomson Reuters Jul 1, 2026 | 5:25 AM

July 1 (Reuters) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ​has pardoned ‌32 prisoners, of whom 28 were serving ‌sentences ​for “extremism”, ⁠a charge often ⁠used against opponents of his government, a ​Telegram channel linked to ⁠his ⁠administration said ​on Wednesday.

Lukashenko has ​freed hundreds of ‌people to date in return for ⁠an easing of U.S. sanctions, but ⁠Belarusian ‌human rights ⁠group Viasna ​says ‌well over 800 ​political ⁠prisoners remain in jail.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark ​Trevelyan)