Belarus has released three detainees, including a US government-funded broadcaster and a veteran US citizen journalist, the White House said Wednesday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the release of three on Wednesday, including “one American and two Belarusians who worked at Radio Liberty.” No Americans have been identified who were released.
Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya posted on social media that activist Alena Maushuk was among the people who were released and was in serious health, adding that all three people who were released were in Vilnius .
The freed detainees also included Andrei Kuzneczyk, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, known in Belarus as Radiosboboda.
In a statement, Stephen Capus, president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), said: After more than three years apart, the family is once again together thanks to President Trump. ”
RFE/RL is a broadcasting station funded by the US Congress and was established to send information behind Iron Curtains during the Cold War.
On Sunday, billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading Trump's federal cost-cutting efforts, called for another broadcaster to close RFE/RL and Congress, America's voice.
According to the RFE/RL, Kuznechyk was initially sentenced to 10 days on Holiganism, before he sentenced him to six years.
His case is seen as part of a massive campaign of oppression against Belarus' independent media and civil society groups.
Lithuania's US ambassador, Kara MacDonald, spoke about CNN from Vilnius, describing the release as “a big day for Team America, the President, the Secretary of State,” and said, “We welcome them.” I did. [the detainees] A few minutes ago here. ”
Chris Smith, deputy director of Eastern Europe Affairs, explained that he and other US officials had “exclusive operations” that have crossed the Belarus frontiers [and] We went to Minsk to meet with our Belarusian counterparts who brought these three detainees to us. ”
“They were handed over to us and we brought them back through Lithuania,” he told CNN.
The release of detainees from Belarus comes after American school teacher Mark Vogel was released by Russia in prison for three and a half years.
Fogel, 63, had been sentenced to 14 years in prison for drug smuggling after being caught at Moscow airport. He flew to Washington on Tuesday, where he celebrated his release with Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
