Vilnius, Lithuania
AP
—
Belarusian authorities on Saturday freed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova from prison, a human rights advocate confirmed to The Associated Press.
Their release comes as authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko seeks to improve relations with Washington. In exchange for sanctions relief, Lukashenko pardoned 123 prisoners, the Belta state news agency reported. The US earlier on Saturday announced lifting sanctions on the country’s potash sector.
A close ally of Russia, Minsk has faced Western isolation and sanctions for years. Lukashenko has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron…
