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United States resident freed after years of imprisonment in Belarus

United States national freed after imprisonment on charges of conspiring to murder Belarus's dictatorial leader, accusations referred to as baseless by his supporters and the American administration.

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Authoritarian leader of Belarus frees U.S. citizen accused of scheming to orchestrate an...
Authoritarian leader of Belarus frees U.S. citizen accused of scheming to orchestrate an assassination attempt, a claim dismissed as spurious by the subject's backers and the American government.

United States resident freed after years of imprisonment in Belarus

Unshackled: A Belarusian-American Lawyer's Release and the U.S.-Belarus Diplomatic Dance

The Belarusian courts recently freed Youras Ziankovich, a lawyer armed with dual citizenship, who was serving a lengthy sentence on charges of plotting to topple the authoritarian Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. His supporters, and the U.S. government, considered these charges as baseless.

Initially, Ziankovich was convicted on several charges and was handed an 11-year sentence in September 2022, with an additional six months added to his prison term later that same year. In August 2024, a court slapped him with an additional two-year sentence for "malicious disobedience to the prison administration," extending his total prison time to 13.5 years.

Officials from the U.S. confirmed on Wednesday that the man was indeed Youras Ziankovich. However, other news reports have named him as Yuras Zyankovich.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced on Wednesday that Ziankovich would soon return to the United States. Rubio acknowledged Lukashenko's "humanitarian gesture" and thanked the Lithuanians for their unwavering support during the past few months in efforts to bring American citizens back home.

Ziankovich was nabbed in Russia alongside Alexander Feduta, who was a spokesman for Lukashenko when he first took office in 1994. Feduta later shifted to the opposition. Russian Federal Security Service, or FSB, claimed that Ziankovich and Feduta travelled to Moscow to meet with pro-democracy Belarusian generals and were allegedly plotting a military overthrow.

Belarus experienced its most significant protests in 2020, following a controversial election that granted Lukashenko a sixth term in office and was criticized by the opposition and the Western world as fraudulent. The demonstrations led to Lukashenko launching a brutal crackdown on dissent. According to Viasna, Belarus' primary human rights group, over 65,000 individuals have been arrested since the start of the protests, with hundreds of thousands fleeing the nation.

Ziankovich reportedly faced constant and intense pressure from the authorities while in custody and lost a substantial amount of weight in the harsh prison conditions. During an interview with our news outlet on Wednesday, Pavel Sapelka, a rights advocate with Viasna, divulged that Ziankovich had been subjected to inhumane treatment behind bars.

Last year, Lukashenko pardoned approximately 250 political prisoners. In February of this year, he also released one American from custody. At present, around 1,200 political prisoners are reportedly still incarcerated in Belarus according to Viasna.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

Enrichment Data Insights:

  1. Detention and Release Timeline: Ziankovich was detained in April 2021 and released in May 2025. His prison term was initially 11 years, later increased to 13.5 years and reduced to 11 years and six months upon release.
  2. Previous Releases: In February of 2025, Lukashenko released another American from custody.
  3. ** Impact on U.S.-Belarus Relations**: The release of Ziankovich demonstrates ongoing diplomatic tension between the U.S. and Belarus concerning human rights, political freedoms, and the treatment of American citizens abroad.
  4. Opposition and Activism: Ziankovich was a pro-democracy activist and his detention is considered part of a broader crackdown on political dissent in Belarus.
  5. ** Role of the U.S. Administration**: The release of Ziankovich is attributed to diplomatic efforts by the U.S. administration, led by President Trump, as part of a broader strategy to secure the freedom of U.S. citizens detained overseas.
  6. In the wake of Ziankovich's release, political news outlets discussed the role of the U.S. media in amplifying the call for his freedom, shedding light on America's commitment to addressing human rights issues in Belarus.
  7. Amidst the general news coverage, technology platforms have emerged as vital tools for spreading information about the plight of political prisoners in Belarus, including Ziankovich, serving as a bridge between people and global advocacy efforts.
  8. As Belarus continues to grapple with war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice, and politics, media outlets and technology platforms will remain critical in informing the public about key figures like Ziankovich, whose stories shine a light on the need for democratic reform in the region.

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