Part 7/10:
One notable prisoner, Andre Kusic, a journalist with Radio Free Europe, was released after over three years of incarceration, an event marked by an emotional reunion with his family. The release followed a secretive visit by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Smith, indicating high-level diplomatic engagement.
While the release is seen as a calculated move by Lukashenko to ease Western pressures, he continues to hold nearly 1,300 political prisoners, and Western officials are cautious about declaring a true shift in Belarus’s stance. The ongoing balancing act between East and West remains crucial as Minsk seeks to mitigate dependence on Russia and improve its diplomatic standing.