Yuras Zyankovich, a US citizen who was born and raised in Belarus, has been released from prison in Belarus after more than 3 1/2 behind bars, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced via social media on April 30.
Zyankovich, a lawyer, was arrested in April 2021 and later sentenced to 11 years in a high-security prison for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government of Belarusian strongman Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The charges, widely seen as politically motivated, were based on accusations from Belarusian and Russian state intelligence services. Human rights organizations, including Vyasna, had declared Zyankovich a political prisoner.
He went on to receive two additional sentences: six months in 2022 for online comments and again in 2024 to two more years after a conviction for "malicious disobedience" of prison rules.
Zyankovich reportedly endured hunger strikes, harassment, and health issues during his imprisonment in Mahilyou, a prison in Belarus notorious for its harsh conditions.
Zyankovich, the only defendant in his case to plead guilty and express remorse, was tried alongside Belarusian opposition figures Ryhor Kastusyou and Alyakandr Fyaduta. Kastusyou, who has cancer, was released in 2024; Fyaduta remains jailed in poor health.
In a statement, Zyankovich's wife, Alena Dzenisavets, expressed profound relief and gratitude.
"It took 1,480 days, but he survived and is on his way home to me and to America," she said, thanking US President Donald Trump, Rubio, and human rights groups for their unwavering support.
Zyankovich appeared frail in a state TV broadcast earlier this year, pleading for help from US leaders. The footage was condemned as coerced propaganda.
Zyankovich's release comes amid a troubling backdrop of ongoing repression in Belarus, where over 1,300 political prisoners remain jailed, and more than 65,000 people have been arrested since the disputed 2020 election.
The United States continues to urge its citizens to avoid travel to Belarus.
Less that three weeks earlier, Russian-American citizen Ksenia Karelina, who was imprisoned in Russia for donating $51 to a US-based Ukrainian aid charity, was released from a Russian prison after a prisoner swap for Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen who allegedly exported sensitive microelectronics.
