President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko signed a decree on Wednesday pardoning 30 individuals previously convicted of “protest-related crimes.”

Seven women and 23 men were pardoned. According to Prosecutor General Andrei Shved, as quoted by state news outlet Belta, “[T]hese individuals did not commit violent crimes against representatives of the authorities. They were convicted mainly for insult and slander in the internet space.” This is the third batch of individuals pardoned for crimes related to protests in the last month. On August 16, 30 more individuals were pardoned after having “admitted their guilt, sincerely repented their deeds, and undertaken to live their lives in line with the legislation.”

President Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and is sometimes labeled “Europe’s last dictator.” Belarus’s Viasna Human Rights Centre previously reported that there were 1,376 political prisoners in prisons in Belarus as of the end of August 2024. These constitute cases of “politically motivated persecution,” according to the organization, as civilians face arrest when criticizing the government.

Freedom of expression and assembly and association are both protected under international human rights conventions like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Article 19 of the covenant protects the right to hold and express opinions without interference. Moreover, Article 22 states the right to associate with others.

The European Union is one of the organizations that has been imposing sanctions on Belarus since 2023 over alleged human rights abuses. Recently, in July 2024, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) also condemned the violation of free speech and free trial rights in Belarus.