Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a notable Belarusian blogger and political prisoner, was released from prison on June 21 after a visit by Keith Kellogg, a U.S. envoy. He was arrested in May 2020 while attempting to run against Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential election and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. His wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, assumed the candidacy, running in his place, but was forced to flee the country after the election was declared fraudulent. In his first interview post-release, Tsikhanouski expressed overwhelming joy at reuniting with his wife after five years of imprisonment.
I spent five years in a solitary confinement cell, during which I was overwhelmed by emotions to finally see open space around me again.
Hugging Sviatlana brought tears to my eyes; I couldn't believe after all these years of uncertainty that we were together again.
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