Image: Белорусский блогер и общественный деятель Сергей Тихановский. By Roman Kubanskiy / MozgON – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, (Wikipedia)
By Staff Writer with agencies
Vilnius – June 21, 2025
In a stunning and largely unexpected development, Belarus has released several political prisoners, including Sergei Tikhanovsky, the husband of exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. The release marks the most significant gesture by the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko since the mass arrests following the disputed 2020 presidential elections.
Tikhanovsky, once a prominent blogger and presidential hopeful, was detained in 2020 before he could formally register his candidacy. He was later sentenced to 18 years in prison on politically motivated charges. His wife, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, ran in his place, galvanizing the opposition and becoming the symbolic figurehead of a protest movement that Lukashenko’s regime brutally crushed.
Now reunited with her husband in Vilnius, Lithuania, where she has lived in exile with their children since fleeing Belarus after the contested August 2020 election, Tikhanovskaya appeared overwhelmed with emotion. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), she wrote, “My husband … is free! It’s hard to describe the joy in my heart.”
FREE! ❤️🔥BREAKING News
Serghei Tikhanovsky, Belarusian political oppositionist and husband of Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya has been freed!
The news is confirmed
He risked serving 18 years in prison, he served 5
It was not even known if he was aliveI INTERVIEWED his wife in… pic.twitter.com/RZKSWUluXW
— Claudio Locatelli – Il giornalista combattente (@Clod_Locatelli) June 21, 2025
Footage shared by her team showed the couple embracing, with Tikhanovsky visibly thinner and visibly moved by his release.
At least 14 political prisoners were freed as part of this latest development, including former Radio Free Europe journalist Ihar Karnei, five Belarusian nationals, and foreign nationals from Japan, Poland, and Sweden. According to Lithuanian officials, those released are currently receiving medical and psychological support in Lithuania.
The release coincided with a visit to Minsk by U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg, who met with Lukashenko on Saturday. While no official linkage has been made between the meeting and the release, Tikhanovskaya thanked Kellogg, former U.S. President Donald Trump, and “all European allies” for their behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
“We’re not done. 1,150 political prisoners remain behind bars. All must be released,” she emphasized.
Notably absent from the list of freed detainees was Maria Kolesnikova, one of the most prominent leaders of the Belarusian opposition, who remains imprisoned, her sister confirmed. Kolesnikova has become a symbol of defiance after she tore up her passport at the Ukrainian border in 2020 to avoid forced deportation.
Belarus has seen tens of thousands of political arrests over the last five years, and human rights group Viasna estimates that hundreds of thousands of citizens have fled the country since the crackdown on the 2020 protests. Many now reside in neighboring EU states, forming a Belarusian diaspora committed to political change in their homeland.
While the release of Tikhanovsky and others offers a rare glimmer of hope, analysts caution that it may be a calculated gesture by Lukashenko’s government to ease international pressure or secure concessions. The long-serving strongman, in power since 1994, has often used political prisoners as bargaining chips in geopolitical negotiations.
Nevertheless, for many Belarusians watching from abroad and inside the country, the image of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya reunited with her husband marks a deeply emotional and symbolic moment — one that underscores both the cost of resistance and the enduring power of hope.
Staff Writers at Open Chronicle produce in-depth, field-informed reporting on defense, diplomacy, cultural transformation, and global affairs. Known for clarity, accuracy, and analytical depth, they connect breaking developments to broader historical and strategic contexts. In addition to frontline journalism, Staff Writers also contribute to the Open Chronicle Encyclopedia, crafting authoritative entries that preserve critical knowledge and enrich public understanding.