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. sanctions RSF Colombian recruitment network
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Developing
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The U.S. Treasury sanctioned four individuals and four firms on Dec. 9, alleging they recruited former Colombian soldiers to train Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, which Washington has accused of genocide in Darfur. Treasury cited the network’s role in supporting RSF operations, including the Oct. 26 capture of El Fasher, and quoted Under Secretary John K. Hurley saying RSF brutality is deepening conflict and creating conditions for terrorism.
U.S. Sanctions
Sudan Conflict