GENEVA, Switzerland — Former Belarusian political prisoner Katsiaryna Andreyeva warned Monday against easing Western sanctions on Belarus in exchange for the release of political prisoners, arguing that the government’s continued repression and fresh arrests undermine any justification for relaxing international pressure.
Andreyeva, a journalist who was freed in March as part of a group of 250 political prisoners released during negotiations involving the United States, said sanctions should remain in place until Belarus demonstrates meaningful improvements in its human rights record. The prisoner releases came as President Alexander Lukashenko seeks to normalize relations with Western countries in exchange for reducing political repression, marking a significant shift from years of diplomatic isolation tied to his human rights record and support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“Easing sanctions on Lukashenko’s regime without significant change in the situation with human rights might not be appropriate now, and I think that there must be a significant change in the situation,” Andreyeva told Reuters on the sidelines of a session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
While she welcomed the release of political detainees, Andreyeva cautioned that authorities continue to imprison new critics even as others are freed.
“I’m in favour of the release of political prisoners, but just not replacing one prisoner with another,” she said.
Andreyeva was sentenced to eight years in prison after covering mass anti-government protests in Minsk in 2020, accusations she has consistently denied. She spent more than five years in detention and described harsh prison conditions, including spending more than a week in solitary confinement.
She said her husband, journalist Ihar Ilyash, remains imprisoned and has spent more than 50 days in solitary confinement. According to Andreyeva, nearly 1,000 political prisoners continue to be held in Belarus.
She also called for reforms to Belarusian criminal laws that allow journalists and government critics to face charges including treason and organizing protests, arguing that such legislation enables continued political persecution.
Her remarks coincided with the presentation of a report by U.N. Special Rapporteur Nils Muiznieks to the Human Rights Council, which concluded that Belarus continues to commit widespread and systematic human rights violations through politically motivated repression.
The report said authorities continue to violate international human rights obligations while maintaining broad crackdowns on political opponents, journalists and civil society.
Belarus did not send a representative to address the council during Monday’s discussion.
Several countries criticized Belarus during the debate. Dutch Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Lars Tummers described the treatment of political prisoners as a “revolving door pattern of repression,” arguing that detainees are released only as new arrests continue.
Muiznieks said his office continues to receive frequent reports of politically motivated arrests and expressed serious concern over detention conditions inside Belarusian prisons.
The majority of Belarus’ political prisoners were detained following the unprecedented demonstrations that erupted after the disputed 2020 presidential election, in which Lukashenko claimed victory and secured another term after first taking office in 1994.
Repression has continued in recent months. Last week, Belarusian journalist Kyril Pazniak was sentenced to more than three years in prison, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Andreyeva said the continuing imprisonment of journalists and activists remains a source of deep concern despite her own release.
“I’m deeply concerned about their future,” she said.
