It’s always a thrill to be able to scratch a name from my list of known political hostages. And today there are 52 people who have been released from the hell of Belarusian prisons, one of whom has been on the list for far too long.

Ihar Losik is a journalist with Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), who was arrested five years ago and sentenced in December 2021 to 15 years in prison on trumped-up charges of “organizing mass riots, taking part in mass disorder, inciting social hatred,” and other unspecified charges. His real “crime”? Reporting on public unrest in Belarus following the still-disputed presidential election of August 2020.

Also released was Alena Tsimashchuk, who had worked at RFE/RL’s Prague headquarters as part of the Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellowship. I do not yet have the names of the other 50 newly-freed prisoners, and therefore don’t know whether they include any others on my list. But first reports say that — according to the Belarusian presidency’s press service — they include six Lithuanians, two Latvians, two Poles, two Germans, one French national and one UK national. [RFE/RL, September 11, 2025.]

The release of the 52 prisoners, who arrived safely today in Vilnius, Lithuania, was the result of joint American-Lithuanian diplomatic efforts, and explains Donald Trump’s recent communications with Belarus’ presumptive president, Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The report does not indicate what trade, payment or concession was granted to Belarus in exchange for the lives of the political prisoners; but historically, these transactions have not been one-sided.

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While it is always galling to have to deal with despots and criminals, when the lives of innocent people are at stake, sometimes we have to — as the saying goes — suck it up, for the greater good.

Steve Capus, CEO of RFE/RL, expressed his appreciation to the governments of the U.S. and Lithuania today for “securing the release of yet another brave RFE/RL journalist unfairly detained by Belarusian authorities,” and for “their consistent support of RFE/RL’s imprisoned journalists.” [Id.]

And I second that.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/11/25