Bipartisan lawmakers called on Trump Admin to work to free political prisoners

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and John Curtis (R-Utah), alongside U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and Joe Wilson (R-SC-02), today welcomed the release of 123 political prisoners held by Belarusian strongman Aleksandr Lukashenka. The news comes after the bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers called on the Trump Administration to continue working to free political prisoners in Belarus, including several U.S. nationals. The lawmakers also encouraged the Department of State to continue to hold Strategic Dialogue with the Belarusian democratic movement and their exiled leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.  

“While long overdue, the release of Maryia Kalesnikava, Viktar Babaryka and other high-profile political prisoners is a welcome development. There are still at least 1,100 political prisoners in Lukashenko’s jails, and we will continue to work for their release,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. 

In their November letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the lawmakers urged the State Department to prioritize the release of Maryia Kalesnikava, Ales Bialiatski, Viktar Babaryka, Uladzimir Labkovich, and Maksim Znak, all of whom were released on Saturday. Other political prisoners mentioned in the lawmakers’ letter, but still imprisoned, include Marfa Rabkova, Valiantsin Stefanovich, Nasta (Anastasia) Loika, Eduard Babaryka, Dzyanis Ivashyn, and Kaciaryna Andrejeva. 

Senator Welch has spoken on the Senate floor to highlight the case of Maryia Kalesnikava, a leading member of the Belarusian political opposition calling for free and fair elections in Belarus, who was apprehended in 2020 by officials who attempted to forcibly deport her to Ukraine. Senator Welch also met with political and human rights advocates, including Maryia’s sister, Tatsiana Khomic to discuss ways to help secure the release of Maryia and other political prisoners in Belarus.  

Senator Welch has advocated for bipartisan cooperation to secure the release of political prisoners in Belarus and around the world. Following high-level bilateral U.S.-Belarus negotiations in June 2025, which led to the release of pro-democracy opposition figures, Senator Welch encouraged the Administration to ensure human rights and the release of political prisoners remain central to any further negotiations. Earlier this year, the Senator led his colleagues in urging Secretary of State Rubio to preserve the staff and programs administered by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) amid the Department’s proposed reorganization. 

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