The Presidents of the European Commission and the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen and Roberta Mezzola, welcomed in separate messages today the release of political prisoners in Belarus, including Ales Byalyatski and Maria Kolesnikova.
"This development will strengthen our resolve to continue the fight for all remaining prisoners who are behind bars in Belarus because they had the courage to tell the truth to the authorities," Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.net.
The President of the European Commission stressed that the fight for human rights and justice in Belarus must continue until the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people are fulfilled.
Mecola pointed out that Sakharov Prize winners Kolesnikova and Byalyatski, who is also a Nobel Peace Prize winner, have endured so much and wished them strength.
"The European Parliament will continue to advocate for the release of all political prisoners in Belarus, including journalist Andrzej Pochobut, who will receive the Sakharov Prize in Strasbourg on Tuesday," Mezzola wrote on the X network.
Pochobut, a journalist from Belarus, remains in detention.
Mecola said that she will not forget those who are still behind bars and ended with the message "Belarus will be free."
Belarusian authorities today released 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski and key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova.
Their release comes as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko seeks to improve relations with Washington. In exchange for sanctions relief, Lukashenko pardoned 123 prisoners, the state-run Belta news agency reported.
Journalists Andrzej Pochobut from Belarus and Mzija Amaglobeli from Georgia are the winners of this year's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, and when announcing this year's winners, Metzola said that the two journalists are currently in prison on "false charges, just for doing their job and speaking out against injustice."
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