Seventeen of the prisoners released on Wednesday have chronic diseases, and nine of those pardoned were over 50 years old.
Opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaja, who was forced into exile since she considered herself to have won the presidential election in 2020, welcomed the news with a bitter aftertaste:
"My heart is filled with joy that 32 more political prisoners have been released. But we are forced to acknowledge the harsh reality: repression continues and the number of political prisoners increases", she writes on X.
Her husband, who initially ran as a presidential candidate in opposition to Lukashenko but was banned from running and imprisoned, is one of those who still sit in prison.
Human rights organization Viasna claims to be able to verify 1,262 political prisoners, but the actual number is believed to be higher.
