Ales Bialiatski released from Belarus prison, December 13, 2025
Last updated: December 22, 2025
What happened: On December 13, 2025, Belarus released Ales Bialiatski, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who had been imprisoned for over four years. He was among 123 political prisoners pardoned by President Alexander Lukashenko in exchange for U.S. sanctions relief on Belarus's potash sector.
Born September 25, 1962. Belarusian human rights activist. Founded Viasna Human Rights Center in 1996 to defend protesters arrested during demonstrations against Lukashenko.
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 jointly with the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties and the Russian organization Memorial. He was the fourth person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize while in detention, after Carl von Ossietzky (Germany, 1935), Liu Xiaobo (China, 2010), and Aung San Suu Kyi (Myanmar, 1991).
Convicted in April 2023 on charges of smuggling and other finance-related offenses. Sentenced to 10 years in a penal colony.
"When I crossed the border, it was as if I emerged from the bottom of the sea and onto the surface of the water. You have lots of air, sun, and back there you were in a completely different situation - under pressure."
- Ales Bialiatski, first interview after release
The release came after two days of negotiations between Belarus and Washington:
Despite this release, Bialiatski noted that "more than a thousand political prisoners in Belarus remain behind bars simply because they chose freedom." He vowed to continue his human rights work.
Belarus has been ruled by Alexander Lukashenko since 1994. The 2020 presidential election, widely seen as fraudulent, sparked mass protests that were violently suppressed. Thousands were arrested, tortured, or forced into exile. The crackdown on civil society continues.
Bialiatski's release represents a rare victory for those imprisoned, though it came at the cost of sanctions relief that benefits the regime. The exchange illustrates the complex calculus of prisoner diplomacy.
Also released in the exchange was Maria Kolesnikova, one of the three women who led the 2020 opposition movement. She was arrested in September 2020 after dramatically ripping up her passport to prevent being forcibly deported. Sentenced to 11 years in prison. Reports prior to release indicated serious health deterioration.
This page documents the release of a political prisoner and the circumstances surrounding it. Ember compiles publicly available information about events that should be remembered.