Inside Belarus’s Political Prisoner Crisis: Mikola Statkevich’s Forced Return to Jail Exposes Lukashenko’s Brutal Regime

In a striking display of authoritarian overreach, Belarusian opposition figure Mikola Statkevich was forcibly returned to prison after refusing to accept what he rightly deemed a “forced deportation.” Freed only days earlier in a deal brokered by the Trump administration, Statkevich’s dramatic resistance and subsequent disappearance reveal the grim reality beneath Lukashenko’s attempts to soften his image for Western eyes. How Long Will America Tolerate This Diplomatic Farce? Statkevich—an outspoken former presidential candidate and symbol of persistent resistance against Belarus’s iron-fisted ruler Alexander Lukashenko—was released alongside other political prisoners in September. This act coincided with sanctions relief for Minsk's national...