Belarus Frees Eight Journalists After Years in Prison Amid Sanctions Deal

Belarus freed eight journalists, including Iryna Slaunikava, Pavel Mazheika, Yauhen Merkis, and Larysa Shchyrakova, in a sanctions-linked release.

Belarus has released eight journalists who had been unjustly detained for years, in what rights groups are calling a rare but important breakthrough for press freedom in one of Europe’s most repressive media environments. The release, announced on September 11, 2025, came as part of a broader move that freed 52 political prisoners and coincided with the United States easing sanctions on the Belarusian state airline, Belavia.

Among those freed were Iryna Slaunikava, a journalist with Belsat TV held since October 2021, and Pavel Mazheika, also from Belsat, detained in August 2022. Yauhen Merkis, a freelancer imprisoned since September 2022, and Larysa Shchyrakova, an independent journalist taken into custody in December 2022, were also included. The group further included Alyaksandr Mantsevich, editor-in-chief of Rehiyanalnaya Gazeta, jailed in March 2023, along with freelancers Alena Tsimashchuk (detained October 2023), Vyacheslau Lazarau (detained February 2023), and Pavel Padabed (detained January 2023).

The release list also featured Ihar Losik, a prominent blogger and consultant for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who had been serving a 15-year sentence since 2020. While Losik is widely recognized as a victim of political repression, press watchdogs like CPJ had categorized him separately from journalists in their prison tallies.

International organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Federation of Journalists, and Reporters Without Borders, welcomed the news but stressed that this is only a partial victory. At least 20 other journalists remain imprisoned in Belarus, alongside hundreds of political detainees. Many continue to face charges based on vague or politically motivated laws designed to stifle dissent and silence independent reporting.

The timing of the release was linked to Washington’s decision to lift restrictions on Belavia, allowing the airline to access spare parts and maintenance for its aircraft, particularly Boeing jets. Analysts view this as part of a broader diplomatic negotiation between Minsk and Western governments, aimed at recalibrating strained relations.

While families of the freed journalists celebrated their return, rights groups warned that without structural reforms and guarantees for media freedom, repression could continue. For now, the release stands as a symbolic but incomplete step toward ending years of state-directed persecution of Belarus’s independent press.

To read the full story: https://tjcproject.org/belarus-releases-eight-journalists-as-u-s-eases-sanctions-in-political-prisoner-deal/