Council of Europe leaders have welcomed the release of 123 political prisoners in Belarus on 13 December, including Maria Kalesnikava and Ales Bialiatski.
Secretary General Alain Berset said they were strong advocates for human rights and democracy in their country, and stressed that the Council of Europe will continue to work with Belarusian democratic forces.
Theodoros Rousopoulos, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, called the release of the political prisoners “miraculous news at the end of the year filled with challenges and problems”. He reiterated that both Kalesnikava and Bialiatski have been winners of the Council of Europe’s Václav Havel prize, their awards coming in 2021 and 2013 respectively.
President of the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Marc Cools also welcomed the release.
The Council of Europe suspended all cooperation with the Belarusian authorities on 17 March 2022 because of the active participation of Belarus in the Russian Federation’s aggression of Ukraine. It has continued its cooperation with Belarusian civil society and the democratic forces in exile through its Contact group on Belarus set up in September 2022. Since 2025, representatives of Belarusian democratic forces have participated in the work of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress.
Secretary General Alain Berset
