Belarus opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky has been released from jail after being pardoned, Belarusian human rights group Viasna has said.
His wife Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who took over the opposition cause after his jailing, shared a video of him smiling and embracing her after his release with the caption: "FREE".
Mr Tikhanovsky, 46, had been imprisoned for more than five years.
My husband Siarhei is free! It's hard to describe the joy in my heart.
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) June 21, 2025
Thank you, 🇺🇸 @POTUS, @SPE_Kellogg, @JohnPCoale, DAS Christopher W. Smith, @StateDept & our 🇪🇺 allies, for all your efforts.
We’re not done. 1150 political prisoners remain behind bars. All must be released. pic.twitter.com/MhngqBHFq3
He planned to run against incumbent Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in the August 2020 presidential election, but was arrested and detained weeks before the vote.
His wife Svetlana - a political novice at the time of his arrest - took his place in the polls.
He was sentenced in 2021 to 18 years in prison for "organising riots" and "inciting hatred" and then to 18 months extra for "insubordination".
Belarus, governed by Mr Lukashenko since 1994, has outlawed all opposition movements and is the only European country to retain the death penalty as a punishment.
There are more than 1,000 political prisoners in the country, according to Viasna.
Ms Tikhanovskaya said that officials from the United States had helped secure the release of her husband.
"It's hard to describe the joy in my heart," she said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, thanking US President Donald Trump, US envoy Keith Kellogg and European allies.
