Two leading figures of the Belarusian opposition, recently released by the Minsk authorities as part of an agreement negotiated with the United States, said on Sunday that they did not regret the actions that led them to prison.
Maria Kalesnikava, 43, was one of the leading figures in the massive 2020 protests that erupted after the widely disputed presidential election of Alexander Lukashenko. The opposition accused the president of rigging his re-election for a sixth term, accusations rejected by the authorities, who responded with a large-scale police crackdown.
Speaking at a press conference held in an undisclosed location in Ukraine the day after her release, Kalesnikava said she felt no remorse. "No, I regret nothing. I believe there are times when certain questions arise, difficult questions, and difficult choices must be made," she stated, according to the Belarusian opposition media outlet Nasha Niva.
She was among a group of prisoners released on Sunday and allowed to speak to the press. In total, 123 people were released by Belarus: 114 were transferred to Ukraine and nine to Lithuania, according to Ukrainian authorities. Among them were Belarusian political prisoners as well as Ukrainian citizens accused by Minsk of collaborating with Kyiv's intelligence services.
Alongside Kalesnikava was Viktor Babaryko, another prominent opposition figure, who was also imprisoned after challenging Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election. Their release comes as Belarus remains closely aligned with Russia, amid the war in Ukraine and increased diplomatic pressure.
The statements of the released opposition members underscore the persistence of political dissent in Belarus, despite years of repression. They also highlight the international dimension of the negotiations that led to these releases, while many opposition figures remain imprisoned in the country.
