Belarus frees 52 political prisoners, including foreigners, after visit by US delegation

Move seen as effort to win US favour and sanctions relief, as crackdown on dissent continues

Belarus has released 52 prisoners of various nationalities, after a visit by a US delegation to Minsk, in Alexander Lukashenko’s latest attempt to balance ties between Russia and the west.

Thursday’s prisoner release was one of the biggest of Lukashenko’s authoritarian rule, and was part of his effort to mend relations with Washington and secure sanctions relief after years of isolation.