A prominent Belarusian opposition figure has been released from prison following a stroke he experienced while incarcerated, according to exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya announced Thursday.
Mikola Statkevich, 69, had previously declined deportation to Lithuania following his release in September 2025 and was subsequently jailed again. He was among 52 political prisoners released from Belarus last September following an intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump, a group that included journalists and other political adversaries of President Alexander Lukashenko. While all other freed prisoners were transported to Lithuania’s border and crossed into the country, Statkevich alone chose to remain.
“I am relieved that he is free and able to hug his wife, who waited for him for so long,” Tsikhanouskaya posted on X, sharing an image of Statkevich embracing his wife with smiles on their faces. She noted that his speech has been significantly impacted by the stroke.
The veteran politician mounted an unsuccessful campaign against Lukashenko during the 2010 presidential race. Authorities detained him in May 2020, and he received a 14-year sentence to a high-security facility in 2021 on charges of “organising riots.”
