UK Celebrates the Release of Julia Fenner in Belarus Prisoner Swap

Wed Oct 22 2025 03:49:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Julia Fenner, a dual UK-Belarus citizen and wife of a British diplomat, has been released from Belarusian prison as part of a broader agreement with the US. The release is seen as a significant diplomatic breakthrough amidst the ongoing political crisis in Belarus.

Julia Fenner was imprisoned in Belarus following her detention at the border in March 2024. Her release comes as part of a deal that saw the United States ease some sanctions against Belarus. While 52 political prisoners were freed, concerns persist over the fate of over 1,000 still imprisoned under the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko.

UK-Belarus dual citizen Julia Fenner, who is the wife of a British diplomat, has been freed from prison by Belarus as part of a broader release agreed with the US.

She had been given a long jail term last month after being detained on the border as she entered Belarus in March 2024.

UK Europe Minister Stephen Doughty said it is great news that a British national has been brought home.

Fifty-two prisoners were freed from Belarus on Thursday as part of an agreement between US President Donald Trump and authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who is a close ally of Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

In exchange for the release of political prisoners, the US said it would relieve some sanctions on Belarusian airline Belavia, allowing the carrier to buy parts for its planes.

Stephen Doughty called the release a significant breakthrough and thanked the US for substantial diplomatic efforts to secure this outcome.

The prisoners released included trade union leaders, journalists, and activists, but more than 1,000 political prisoners remain in jail in Belarus.

Julia Fenner had previously worked at the British embassy in Minsk before marrying British diplomat Martin Fenner, according to human rights group Charter 97. Martin Fenner was deputy head of mission in Minsk for four years in the early 2000s.

Another rights group, Spring 96, recognized Mrs Fenner as a political prisoner who had been imprisoned in a penal colony.

Although the reason for Belarus charging her was never explained, she was accused under two articles of the criminal code, for active participation in actions that grossly violate public order and assistance to extremist activity.

All opposition has been quashed by Belarusian authoritarian leader Lukashenko, 71, who has been in power since 1994.

He described the release of the 52 prisoners as a humanitarian gesture, after meeting Donald Trump's special envoy John Coale in the capital Minsk on Thursday.

In a news conference on Friday, Belarus's exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya thanked the US president for securing the prisoners' release.

While an estimated 1,300 political prisoners remain in jail in Belarus, Tikhanovskaya stated that the release of the 52 prisoners on Thursday was a step in the right direction.

However, she warned that what happened yesterday wasn't a real freedom; it was forced deportation.

Tikhanovskaya expressed concern for the fate of Mikola Statkevich, a veteran dissident who chose not to leave Belarus during the swap.

Statkevich, who stood against Lukashenko in the 2010 presidential elections, described his continued presence as a means of supporting his fellow citizens until Belarus is free from oppressive rule.