US Citizen Released from Belarus as Controversy Surrounds Country’s Election
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Sunday that the US has secured the release of an American citizen, Anastasia Nuhfer, who was imprisoned in Belarus. Rubio credited President Donald Trump’s leadership and a team member, Christopher Smith, with achieving her release.
Nuhfer’s release comes as Belarus is holding a national election on Sunday, with President Alexander Lukashenko facing token opposition and expected to secure another term. The election has been marred by widespread criticism, with many opponents and activists calling it a sham.
The election has been marked by a brutal crackdown on dissent and free speech, with over 65,000 arrests and thousands beaten, according to the Associated Press. The country is also holding nearly 1,300 political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, founder of the Viasna Human Rights Center.
Opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has called the election a “senseless farce” and urged voters to boycott the poll, calling it a “Lukashenko ritual.” The European Parliament has urged the EU to reject the election outcome, with EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas calling it “a blatant affront to democracy.”
The country’s leader, Alexander Lukashenko, has sought to uproot dissent, arresting hundreds more in raids targeting relatives and friends of political prisoners. He has also pardoned over 250 people, while authorities seek to suppress protests by arresting hundreds of people and forcing them to sign papers warning against participating in unsanctioned demonstrations.
Rubio’s announcement comes as the US is also dealing with the issue of two Americans reportedly held by the Taliban.
