EXCLUSIVE — Belarusian dissident Siarhei Tsikhanouski is free after spending more than five years as a political prisoner, and now he is calling for those still behind bars to be released.
In a video message played before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday, Tsikhanouski makes a desperate plea for international intervention.
"I was tortured, I was held in solitary confinement, I was frozen. I wasn't even given a pen to write a few words. For years, I didn't receive a single letter, not even from my daughter. They filled my ears with lies and propaganda. They tried to convince me that everyone had forgotten me. What is happening in Belarusian prisons is not law enforcement. It is torture, abuse, and the destruction of human beings. People are literally being killed behind bars," Tsikhanouski said in the video, which was provided to Fox News Digital by UN Watch.
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Tsikhanouski credited the international community — especially the Trump administration — for his release, which was secured after U.S. Special Envoy on Ukraine and Russia Gen. Keith Kellogg met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. In addition to Tsikhanouski, 13 other political prisoners were released through U.S. mediation.
The Belarusian dissident said in the video that he would not have made it out alive if it were not for "international solidarity" and "the efforts of the USA administration."
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In his first address as U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Nils Muižnieks warned that, since Jan. 2025, the human rights situation has "continued to deteriorate." He also noted that authorities in Belarus have abused "highly problematic" legislation, including a prohibition on insulting the president or other public officials.
"Belarus has a very large number of people behind bars who should not be there, including opposition politicians, human rights defenders, journalists, independent trade union activists, environmental defenders and lawyers," Muižnieks said before Tsikhanouski's video was played. He also described the ill-treatment of prisoners by Belarusian authorities.
After the council heard Tsikhanouski's message, Muižnieks said that the recently-freed dissident's words "carry extra weight."
Following his release, Tsikhanouski was reunited with his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and their children in Lithuania. Tsikhanouskaya is the exiled Belarusian opposition leader whom some countries recognize as the president-elect.
Tsikhanouskaya thanked President Donald Trump, Kellogg and the State Department for their efforts, which led to her husband’s freedom.
"My husband Siarhei is free! It’s hard to describe the joy in my heart," Tsikhanouskaya wrote on X. "We’re not done. 1,150 political prisoners remain behind bars. All must be released."
UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer joined the call to see the remaining 1,150 prisoners gain their freedom.
"Siarhei Tsikhanouski is a symbol of courage who paid a heavy price for daring to challenge Lukashenko’s dictatorship. United Nations Watch is honored to give him the floor at the UN Human Rights Council just days after his release from prison. His voice, silenced by the regime for more than five years as he was tortured in jail, now speaks for millions of Belarusians who continue to demand freedom and human rights," Neuer told Fox News Digital.
Neuer said Tsikhanouski’s message to the U.N. was "a direct challenge to the regimes that continue to silence their critics."
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Thursday, June 26, also marks the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Tsikhanouskaya wrote on X to mark the occasion and shared a photo illustrating the effects that five years in prison had on her husband.
"Today is the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. My husband survived five years of isolation and cruelty in the Belarus regime's prisons. Many others still endure it. If we had given up, Siarhei wouldn’t be free. That’s why we keep going—until everyone is home," Tsikhanouskaya wrote.
According to NPR, Tsikhanouski lost more than 41% of his body weight. He went into prison weighing 298 pounds but weighed just 174 pounds when he was released on June 21.
In response to a request for comment on Tsikhanouski's statement, UN Human Rights Council spokesperson Pascal Sim directed Fox News Digital to a recording of the hearing, particularly Muižnieks' remarks.
The U.N. Human Rights Office also directed Fox News Digital to Muižnieks' statement.
