Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski is also among those released after negotiations in Minsk involving U.S. Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale, appointed by President Donald Trump.
The United States has agreed to remove sanctions on potash, a critical fertilizer component and a major export commodity for Belarus, which is a close ally of Russia.
Coale stated, "As relations between the two countries normalise, more and more sanctions will be lifted."
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is not recognized as the legitimate leader by the European Union.
Maria Kolesnikova had been imprisoned since 2020, spending much of that time in solitary confinement.
Her sister, Tatiana Khomich, who campaigned extensively for her release, spoke to her via video call soon after the news broke and confirmed the details to the Source.
"She is free, she looks fine, she looks good," said Khomich, expressing her eagerness to finally embrace her sister.
A group of the freed individuals is expected to arrive shortly in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, where a crowd has begun gathering outside the U.S. embassy.
Khomich relayed that the first thing Kolesnikova said was to express gratitude "to the U.S. administration, President Trump [and] to the Belarus government as well for leading and talking and having these negotiations."
This deal represents a significant political achievement for Lukashenko, and the authoritarian leader will also appreciate how the American engagement has broken his international isolation.
Like the EU, the United States had refused to recognize Lukashenko's presidency following widely condemned elections five years ago that triggered massive street protests and a brutal police crackdown.
Hundreds were arrested during that period—including Kolesnikova—and severe political repression has persisted.
Western sanctions were intensified after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which was launched partly from Belarusian territory.
Coale was quoted in Belarusian state media confirming the immediate lifting of potash sanctions.
The U.S. envoy also mentioned discussing Ukraine with Lukashenko and what assistance Minsk could provide in potential talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This outreach marks a substantial shift in U.S. foreign policy, placing it starkly at odds with the European approach of maintaining sanctions and isolation.
________________________________________________________________________
Source: BBC