Belarus granted early release on Saturday to one of its most prominent political prisoners in a move that might be intended to ease its strained relationship with the European Union, The New-York Times reports.

The prisoner, Andrei Sannikov, a former presidential candidate, told Charter 97, a Belarussian Web site, that he had been pardoned by President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko on Saturday.

“Until the last minute I did not believe they would free me,” Mr. Sannikov said. “They had transferred me so many times from one prison to another that I thought it was just the next stage. Now I am a little dumbfounded; I need to get ahold of myself.

“I want to convey to everyone my thanks for their support and solidarity,” he added. “I have never felt such support and solidarity. Thank you so much! If it were not for you, I would not be free today.”

Mr. Sannikov, a former deputy foreign minister, was convicted of organizing mass unrest and given a five-year sentence last May, during the harshest crackdown of Mr. Lukashenko’s rule.

Mr. Sannikov was arrested after participating in a largely peaceful protest in December 2010. The protest occurred after Mr. Lukashenko, who has ruled for almost 18 years, won re-election in a campaign that independent observers said was marred by large-scale fraud.

Tens of thousands of people gathered that night. The government accused opposition leaders of inciting violence that included breaking down the doors of a government building, and many opposition candidates were swept up in arrests that followed.

At trial, Mr. Sannikov said prison guards threatened to harm his wife and small son in an effort to secure a confession. The authorities threatened to take custody of his son, who was then 3 years old, but eventually they allowed his wife’s parents to care for the boy.

Mr. Lukashenko’s government has come under increasingly stringent sanctions from the European Union in recent months. The organization imposed a travel ban on a number of top officials and recalled the ambassadors of its member countries. Mr. Lukashenko responded by imposing his own travel ban — barring several prominent critics from leaving the country — and some human rights organizations worried that the sanctions had served only to further isolate the country.

The European Union is planning to hold discussions soon on expanding sanctions against Belarus.

Ellen Barry
The New-York Times

Images: svaboda.org