Belarusians hope for more prisoner releases

Belarusian exile Asya watched from the sidelines in central Warsaw as a crowd greeted and applauded Sergei Tikhanovsky, the Belarus opposition figure who was unexpectedly released, barely recognisable after five years in prison.

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A popular blogger, Tikhanovsky, 46, was jailed in 2020, weeks before he was due to stand in presidential elections against Belarus's long-time leader, Alexander Lukashenko.

His arrest was the opening salvo in a sweeping crackdown that escalated after Lukashenko claimed victory over Svetlana Tikhanovskaya — Tikhanovsky’s wife, who ran in his place — in a ballot widely decried by critics and rights groups as rigged.

Asya was among several hundred fellow Belarusians, living in exile in neighbouring Poland, celebrating his surprise release under pressure from the United States. But her mind was with others still incarcerated.