Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pardoned eight political prisoners on Friday, his office said, an “act of mercy” ahead of the January 26 election, widely seen as a formality to extend his nearly 30-year rule.
A close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the 70-year-old leader is seeking his seventh term in a vote that opposition groups and rights activists have criticized as a sham.
Five women and three men who were convicted of extremist crimes were pardoned, his press office said, claiming that five of the individuals have children and one woman is pregnant. It refused to name those released, heightening skepticism about whether any key opposition figures had been included.
Besides political detainees, seven guilty of offense caused by illegal drug use have been pardoned. Quoting from the press office, “Every pardon is an act of mercy, a chance to return to a normal life and become a law-abiding member of society.” As if adding weight to it, over 200 people were reportedly pardoned to mark this coming Sunday’s elections.
Lukashenko has almost no opposition in the election set to take place. One of his opponents, Oleg Gaidukevich, is way right and prone to acceding to Lukashenko as the “sole guarantor of the country’s unity.” The president has recently declined an offer to engage in a debate and primary election, stating that he was not keeping abreast with the campaign closely.
Belarus currently has over 1,000 political prisoners, many of whom were detained during the mass protests following Lukashenko’s disputed re-election in 2020. Critics say that Belarusian authorities treat political detainees in prison with hard conditions and have limited access to legal counsel and family communication.
Critics and opposition leaders state that pardons are part of a strategic strategy to appear lenient while keeping control. Rights groups say that the move is not enough to address widespread repression of dissent under Lukashenko’s regime.
