Belarus announced on Friday that a number of political prisoners have been pardoned.
According to President Alexander Lukashenko's office, 30 people who were sentenced to prison terms for participating in regime-critical protests will be released.
The presidential office's website states that Lukashenko "has signed a decree releasing" a number of prisoners, "some of whom have serious illnesses, some who have reached retirement age".
According to the human rights organization Viasna, which is regime-critical, 1,378 political prisoners are being held in prisons in Belarus.
Lukashenko's regime, with support from Moscow and the Russian intelligence service, cracked down on all opposition after the controversial presidential election in 2020.
