Imagine being freed from prison after years of abuse, only to be blindfolded, driven to a foreign border, and dumped without a passport or any official ID. This isn’t fiction; it’s the grim reality for many political prisoners recently “released” by the authoritarian government of Belarus. This “final act of repression” ensures that even after supposed freedom, their lives remain controlled and incredibly difficult.
Uladzimir Labkovich, a human rights advocate, spent four and a half years in Belarusian custody. Upon his release, he found himself in Ukraine with just a piece of paper bearing his name and mugshot. “After four and half years of abuse… I was thrown out of my own country without a passport,” he recounted. This “dirty trick,” as he calls it, makes rebuilding his life abroad an impossible bureaucratic nightmare.
Belarus, under President Alexander Lukashenko, recently released 123 prisoners in exchange for lifted U.S. trade sanctions. While appearing to soften its stance, the regime ensures these individuals face severe bureaucratic hurdles, unable to return home or even travel freely. They are effectively forced into exile. Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya labels it “forced deportation,” a clear violation of international norms, while the UN’s special rapporteur calls it “not pardons, but forced exile.”
Many, like Labkovich, dream of reuniting with family but are stuck dealing with absurd paperwork in foreign lands. And the cruelty doesn’t stop. While some are released, others are still being arrested, facing trials in absentia, and having their property seized. It’s a “revolving door” of repression, designed to silence dissent and maintain Lukashenko’s iron grip. These so-called “pardons” are just another tool in a system designed to humiliate and control those who dare to challenge it.
