Voice of America
26 Sep 2022, 11:35 GMT+10
washington - The United States on Sunday welcomed the release in Belarus of a journalist for a U.S.-backed outlet but urged freedom for hundreds of other prisoners rounded up in a crackdown on dissent.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty had said days earlier that one of its reporters, Aleh Hruzdzilovich, was freed after nine months in prison.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States 'welcomes' the release of Hruzdzilovich and several others.
'While the release of these political prisoners is a step in the right direction, too many political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus,' Price said in a statement. 'We call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners.'
The U.N. office on human rights on Friday said that nearly 1,300 people are in detention in Belarus on political grounds.
Veteran strongman Alexander Lukashenko has tried to crush mass protests that erupted in 2020 after he was said to secure a sixth presidential term.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said she won the election and has fled Belarus for exile in neighboring Lithuania, from which she heads the opposition.
Hruzdzilovich, 63, was arrested for allegedly taking part in the protests. He denies the charges and says he was there as a reporter.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which receives funding from the U.S. Congress but is editorially independent, said that two more of its journalists, Ihar Losik and Andrey Kuznechyk, remain imprisoned in Belarus.
In a July interview with AFP, Lukashenko did not deny being 'authoritarian' and accused protesters of acting 'against the state and their own nation.'
RFE/RL is a sister network of Voice of America.
Get a daily dose of Illinois Intelligencer news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Illinois Intelligencer.
More InformationHyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 22 (ANI): AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday warned that a full-blown war in West Asia could...
New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI): Former Diplomat KP Fabian said that it is not accurate to describe Iran as a dangerous regime as...
(250622) -- JOHVI, June 22, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Joe Kovacs of the United States competes during the men's shot put event at the World...
Jammu (Jammu) [India], June 22 (ANI): Shesh Paul Vaid, the former Director General of Police (DGP) of Jammu and Kashmir, expressed...
Toronto [Canada], June 22 (ANI): Canada have officially secured their spot in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, set to be co-hosted by India...
New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Sunday took a clever jibe at the growing coordination between...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump how bowed to pro-Israel elements in his administration and Congress, announcing that the...
ZURICH, Switzerland: The Swiss National Bank (SNB) lowered its key interest rate to zero percent on June 19 to respond to falling inflation,...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. government is preparing to revise its influential dietary advice, with a significant shift: dropping the...
ZURICH, Switzerland: The U.S. saw an extraordinary rise in wealth last year, with more than 1,000 people crossing into millionaire...
THE HAGUE, Netherlands: The city that prides itself on being a beacon of peace and justice—home to institutions like the International...
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Since taking office in December 2023, Argentine President Javier Milei has implemented sweeping austerity...