Belarus frees Nobel laureate Bialiatski and Maria Kolesnikova; U.S. lifts potash sanctions after talks
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Developing
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Belarus pardoned 123 prisoners — including Nobel Peace laureate Ales Bialiatski and opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova, as well as figures like Viktar Babaryka, Viasna activists Valiantsin Stefanovic and Uladzimir Labkovich, and Maxim Znak — a group that reportedly included a U.S. citizen, six citizens of allied countries and five Ukrainians. The releases followed two days of talks in Minsk after which U.S. special envoy John Coale said Washington would lift sanctions on Belarus’s potash sector; Bialiatski, freed after 1,613 days in prison, appeared pale and emaciated and said he would continue to advocate for remaining prisoners.
U.S. Sanctions
Belarus
U.S.–Belarus Relations
U.S. lifts sanctions on Brazilian Justice de Moraes
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Developing
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The U.S. Treasury’s OFAC removed Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes from its sanctions list on Friday, also delisting his wife and her Lex Institute. The Trump administration had sanctioned de Moraes in July over alleged free‑speech suppression and arbitrary detentions; a senior U.S. official said the reversal follows passage of an amnesty bill in Brazil’s lower house and a weekend call between President Trump and President Lula, signaling a thaw in relations.
Sanctions Policy
Brazil–U.S. Relations