Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has released 123 prisoners, including a Japanese national believed to be a former language instructor detained on espionage charges in July 2024. The man, identified as Masatoshi Nakanishi, was sentenced to imprisonment in March. He has already left Belarus and been handed over to the Japanese Embassy in neighboring Lithuania, with no health issues reported.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko released 123 prisoners as part of a broader amnesty, following the U.S. lifting of sanctions, according to the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania. Among those freed is a Japanese national detained in July 2024 on suspicion of espionage for allegedly collecting military information through photographs of railways and bridges. The Yomiuri Shimbun learned from the Japanese Embassy in Belarus that the man is believed to be Masatoshi Nakanishi, a former language instructor sentenced to imprisonment in March.
Reuters reported the development on Saturday, noting that Nakanishi has already departed Belarus and been transferred to the Japanese Embassy in neighboring Lithuania. No health concerns were mentioned regarding his condition. This release also included prominent figures like Nobel Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova, highlighting shifts in Belarus's political landscape.
The Japanese government's prompt involvement ensured the man's safe handover. While the exact circumstances of the trial and release remain partially undisclosed, the event underscores ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure the release of detained nationals abroad.
