The releases were authorized by the country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, in what state TV cast as an act of magnanimity by the authoritarian leader. At least six of those released had been convicted of insulting Lukashenko, who has run the country for 30 years and is a close ally of Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

One of the prisoners Lukashenko released was 74-year-old union leader Vasil Berasnieu, who was serving nine years for “extremist activity, incitement to hatred and calling for actions deemed harmful to state security,” according to Reuters.

Another of the detainees was former state TV journalist Kseniya Lutskina, who helped organize mass protests in 2020 after Lukashenko was declared victorious in an election widely regarded as rigged. She was serving an eight-year sentence for "conspiracy to seize power" and is suffering from a brain tumor, the Viasna human rights group said.

Viasna said Berasnieu, Lutskina, and 11 others convicted of political crimes were freed on the strength of pardons issued by Lukashenko on August 16.

An aide to exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who claims to have been the rightful winner of the 2020 election, said many of the released prisoners have serious health conditions made worse by their incarceration, and many were close to finishing their prison terms.

"It is a small success of diplomacy combined with international pressure," Franak Viacorka told Reuters. "We should welcome the release of seriously ill prisoners while also reminding the public of the ongoing repression and the 1,400 others still behind bars."

Reuters reported that political activist Dmitry Bolkunets had said the releases were due to international pressure on the Lukashenko regime, particularly from Poland. Warsaw has demanded the release of several Polish Belarusians being held by Minsk, including journalist and activist Andrzej Poczobut, who has come to symbolize Polish opposition to Lukashenko.

Poland had more leverage than other countries as it forms the transit route for goods from Belarus to the EU, including cargoes coming from Russia and China. Bolkunets said he hoped continued pressure from Warsaw would lead to further releases, perhaps on Lukashenko’s birthday, August 30, or the country’s national unity day on September 17.