17 political prisoners have been amnestied and pardoned in Belarus, following the signing of the Law On Amnesty in Connection with the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Belarus from Nazi Invaders, the Viasna Human Rights Center (‘Viasna’) said on Friday.

The Belarussian president, Aliaksandr Lukashenko, signed the new law on Tuesday. The new law is different from older similar laws because it does not grant amnesty for persons that are involved in “extremist and terrorist activities”. Nevertheless, several political prisoners have been released because they are ill. Amongst those released is Ryhor Kastusiou, who was a presidential candidate for the BPF Party in the 2010 presidential elections. After being arrested in 2021 he was charged with plotting against the government to seize state power, which is illegal under Article 357 of the Belarusian Penal Criminal Code. Kastusiou has been diagnosed with cancer, thereby making him eligible for release under the new law.

Earlier in March the UN released a report on the human rights situation in Belarus during and after the country’s presidential election in 2020. In this report, the mass arbitrary detention during the presidential election is highlighted. The fraudulent presidential election sparked mass protests in the country, with countless arbitrary arrests as a result. At the moment 1423 persons are considered political prisoners in Belarus.

Belarus has been adopting diverse amnesty laws ever since it asserted its independence in 1992. These laws are usually adopted in connection with the celebration of their independence or an anniversary like the liberation of Belarus from Nazism.