Sergei Tikhanovsky, the leading opposition figure in Belarus who has been imprisoned, was unexpectedly released on Saturday along with over a dozen other political detainees, an event celebrated as a “symbol of hope.”

His wife, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who stepped into the opposition’s role following his imprisonment, expressed gratitude to the United States for facilitating the release and extended thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump.

At 46, Tikhanovsky had spent more than five years behind bars. He had intended to challenge the current Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, in the presidential election scheduled for August 2020, but was arrested weeks prior to the election.

After his arrest, Svetlana, who was relatively new to politics, took over his campaign.

On Saturday, she shared a touching video of their reunion, captioning it simply: “FREE.”

“It’s difficult to express the happiness in my heart,” she remarked in a post on X.

In addition to Tikhanovsky, thirteen other individuals were set free, including journalist Igor Karnei from Radio Liberty, who was incarcerated in 2023 for engaging with an “extremist” group.

These individuals have now been moved from Belarus to Lithuania, where they are receiving adequate support, according to Kestutis Budrys, Lithuania’s foreign minister.

This announcement followed closely after Lukashenko’s meeting with U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk, marking the highest-level visit by an American official to the authoritarian regime in several years.

Since 1994, Belarus has been under Lukashenko’s control, which has seen the banning of all legitimate opposition parties and maintains the death penalty as the only one in Europe.

According to Viasna, the country still has over 1,000 political prisoners incarcerated.

Galina Krasnyanskaya, a Swedish-Belarusian who was arrested in 2023 for allegedly supporting Ukraine, was also among those released, as confirmed by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

**’Utmost Joy’**

This release coincides with a growing thaw in relations between the U.S. and Belarus’s main ally, Russia, under Trump.

Since assuming office, Trump has engaged in direct dialogue with Vladimir Putin, departing from the previous administration’s strategy of isolating the Russian leader.

Tikhanovsky had been held without communication for an extended period, and in 2023, his family was informed of his supposed “death.”

In a video shared by Viasna on Saturday, he appeared nearly unrecognizable, with a shaved head and an emaciated appearance.

In 2021, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of “organizing riots” and “inciting hatred,” followed by an additional 18 months for “disobedience.”

As a charismatic activist, Tikhanovsky attracted government backlash for labeling Lukashenko a “cockroach,” and his campaign slogan was “Stop the cockroach.”

Lukashenko proclaimed a decisive victory in the 2020 election, a result that ignited widespread protests which were met with severe government reprisals.

Earlier this year, the Belarusian leader claimed a record seventh term in elections that were criticized as illegitimate by observers.

The release was welcomed by fellow Belarusian political activists and international politicians alike.

Poland’s Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, emphasized the need for Tikhanovsky in the “free world,” expressing his joy for the Tikhanovsky family on X.

Pavel Latushko, a former Belarusian culture minister who supported the 2020 protests against Lukashenko, noted that all those released had been incarcerated unlawfully and praised Tikhanovsky’s release as a significant event.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen celebrated Tikhanovsky’s freedom and urged Belarus to liberate its remaining political prisoners. “This is wonderful news and a strong symbol of hope for all political detainees suffering under Lukashenko’s harsh regime,” she stated on X.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul referred to Tikhanovsky’s release as “fantastically good news,” while also reminding that the many other inmates in Belarus should not be forgotten. “Lukashenko must finally set them free,” he posted on X.