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US envoy says he hopes Belarus will free hundreds of prisoners next month
U.S. Special Envoy to Belarus, John Coale, speaks during the 2026 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Grapevine, Texas, U.S., March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare/File Photo
Listen Aug 31 - U.S. special envoy John Coale has said he hopes to secure the release of hundreds of additional prisoners from Belarus next month and will go there in person to try to seal the deal.
Coale, who said his diplomacy had already persuaded Belarus to free up to 800 political prisoners in return for the U.S. easing some of its sanctions on Minsk, made his comments to Voice of America's Russian language service who published his comments on its website over the weekend.