U.S. citizen freed after five-month ordeal in Belarus
Russian television Dozhd revealed that the U.S. citizen released by the Belarusian regime is 56-year-old Nikolai Shugayev. The man spent five months in prison on political charges. The information was confirmed by the "New York Times".
Nikolai Shugayev, a citizen of the U.S. and Ukraine, has been released from a Belarusian prison after five months. According to Russian television Dozhd, his release followed discussions between a U.S. State Department representative and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Shugayev was detained in September 2024 for allegedly disseminating extremist materials.
He was reportedly tortured in prison
He was held in custody in Novopolotsk and later transferred to the KGB detention centre in Minsk. He was accused of publicly insulting the President of Belarus in connection with a comment on Instagram. Nikolai Shugayev, who lost about 20 kilogrammes and is suspected of having tuberculosis, is currently in a clinic in Texas, receiving treatment for health issues acquired during his imprisonment. He described the conditions in the Belarusian prison as terrible, claiming he was tortured.
Shugayev's release was the result of talks between the U.S. and Belarus, which took place on 12 February. As reported by the "New York Times," these negotiations also led to the release of two Belarusian political prisoners.
