Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned dozens of political prisoners, his office said, but critics warned that the crackdown on dissent continues, with more than 1,000 people still imprisoned since mass demonstrations in 2020.

The 32 prisoners pardoned were “convicted of extremist crimes”, the presidency said in a statement on Wednesday. Seventeen of them suffer from chronic diseases and nine were older than 50.

“The Ministry of Internal Affairs will ensure control over their law-abiding behaviour,” it said.

This marked the sixth wave of pardons of political prisoners since July this year, with a total of 178 people released, according to a tally based on data from human rights groups.

“It fills my heart with joy that another 32 political prisoners in Belarus are set to be released,” said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, an exiled opposition leader who claimed victory in the 2020 election.

“However, we must see the harsh reality: repression continues & the number of political prisoners keeps growing,” she said in a post on social media platform X.

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