Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has ordered the release of 250 prisoners as part of a deal with Washington to lift some U.S. sanctions, the latest step in the isolated leader’s effort to improve ties with the West.

Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 18 more prisoners as part of his recent effort at a rapprochement with the United States.

Belarusian authorities have freed 123 prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and key opposition figures Maria Kolesnikova and Viktar Babaryka, as part of a deal with Washington that lifted U.S. sanctions on the Eastern European country’s vital fertilizer exports.

Belarusian authorities have released Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova from prison.

Veteran Belarus opposition leader Mikalai Statkevich has vanished after refusing to leave the country in a U.S.-negotiated prisoner release in September, and human rights activists are demanding the government reveal his whereabouts.

Human rights activists say female political prisoners in Belarus are often singled out for abuse and humiliation, threatened with losing their children, and having medical problems ignored.

An imprisoned opposition leader in Belarus has resurfaced in a video shot by a pro-government blogger after over 700 days of no contact with his family.

The father of imprisoned Belarusian opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova says she's considering asking authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko for a pardon after more than four years behind bars.

Human rights activists say imprisoned Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova has resurfaced after more than 20 months without any communication from her, and has met with her father.

The last time any of Maria Kolesnikova’s family had contact with the imprisoned Belarusian opposition activist was more than 18 months ago.

The family of imprisoned Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova says it hasn't received a letter from her for a year.

A court in Belarus has sentenced two leading opposition activists to lengthy prison terms, the latest move in the relentless crackdown Belarusian authorities have unleashed on dissent after last year’s anti-government protests.

Leading opposition figures went on trial in Belarus Wednesday, part of a multi-pronged crackdown on dissent in the ex-Soviet nation that was rocked by months of protests.

The lawyer, Lyudmila Kazak, went missing Thursday, with police confirming later in the day that she had been detained. On Friday, she was found guilty of failing to obey police and fined 675 rubles ($260). The EU has been weighing sanctions against the Belarusian leadership but failed to agree on imposing them this week. U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Thursday that Britain would prepare targeted sanctions against those responsible for human rights abuses in Belarus. ___Follow AP's coverage of the protests in Belarus at https://apnews.com/hub/belarus

KYIV – Police in Belarus said they detained more than 400 protesters who took part in a weekend demonstration demanding the resignation of the nation's authoritarian president following a disputed vote. Soldiers blocked off the center of Minsk using water cannons, armored personnel carriers and barbed wire. Protests also took place in several other cities, including Brest, where police used tear gas in an effort to disperse the crowd. Protests began on Aug. 9, after Lukashenko won his sixth term in office in an election opposition supporters and many European governments believe was rigged. In response to the crackdown, opposition supporters released personal data of more than 1,000 police officers on Saturday.

FILE - In this Aug. 30, 2020, file photo, Maria Kolesnikova, one of Belarus' opposition leaders, gestures during a rally in Minsk, Belarus. Kolesnikova, a professional flute player with no political experience, emerged as a key opposition activist in Belarus. (Tut.By via AP, File)KYIV A prominent opposition activist who resisted her forcible expulsion from Belarus by ripping up her passport accused Belarusian authorities Thursday of threatening to kill her amid their efforts to end a month of protests against the country's authoritarian president. They threatened to kill me, Kolesnikova said. She was detained Monday and destroyed her passport in a no-man's land between Ukraine and Belarus the next day to prevent her expulsion.

A leading opposition activist in Belarus is being held on the border with Ukraine after she resisted attempts by authorities to deport her from the country as part of a clampdown on protests against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. (AP Photo)KYIV Belarusian authorities on Wednesday detained one of the last leading members of an opposition council who remained free, moving methodically to end a month of protests against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarusian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into members of the Coordination Council, accusing them of undermining national security by calling for a transfer of power. Several council members were arrested and others were forcibly expelled from the country. Maria Kolesnikova, a leading member of the Coordination Council, was detained Monday in the capital of Minsk along with two other council members and then driven early Tuesday to the border, where authorities told them to cross into Ukraine.

FILE - In this Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020 file photo, Maria Kolesnikova, one of Belarus' opposition leaders, gestures during a rally in Minsk, Belarus. (Tut.By via AP, File)KYIV A leading opposition activist in Belarus was held on the border Tuesday after she resisted authorities' attempt to force her to leave the country. Early Tuesday, they were driven to the Ukrainian border, where the authorities told them to cross into Ukraine. Two other council members, Ivan Kravtsov and Anton Rodnenkov, crossed into Ukraine. Several council members were arrested and some others called for questioning.

FILE - In this Aug. 27, 2020, file photo, Maria Kolesnikova, one of Belarus' opposition leaders, gestures on the way to the Belarusian Investigative Committee in Minsk, Belarus. Kolesnikova, a professional flute player with no political experience, emerged as a key opposition activist in Belarus. The 38-year-old musician with close-cropped blond hair has emerged as a key opposition activist, appearing at political rallies and fearlessly walking up to lines of riot police and making her signature gesture a heart formed by her hands. Together with other opposition activists, she formed the Coordination Council to spearhead talks on a transition of power. Along with other opposition activists, Kolesnikova was summoned for questioning as part of an official investigation against the Coordination Council.

Belarusian opposition supporters with old Belarusian national flags gather toward the Independence Palace, the residential of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020. Sunday's demonstration marked the beginning of the fifth week of daily protests calling for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's resignation in the wake of allegedly manipulated elections. A council member, Maxim Znak, said Kolesnikova's colleagues fear she was detained. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius tweeted that Kolesnikova's disappearance is part of the Belarusian authorities' effort to cynically eliminate one by one and called for her immediate release. Two of its members were given 10-day jail sentences on charges of staging unsanctioned protests last week.