'Belarus forcibly deported political prisoners after US deal'

Vilnius: Belarus forcibly deported political prisoners released in a US-led deal, opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said Friday.

Belarus freed 52 political prisoners Thursday as part of a deal brokered by the United States, which lifted some sanctions on the country's national airline. The deal is the latest step toward a possible rapprochement between Washington and Minsk, a close ally of Russia that has faced Western isolation for years. “Of course, we are so happy to see people free, but let's be honest, what happened yesterday wasn't real freedom. It was forced deportation,” Tsikhanouskaya said at a news conference Friday.

Fifty-one of the freed prisoners crossed into Lithuania, Anatol Lyabedzka, of Tsikhanouskaya's team, told The Associated Press.

One of the prisoners refused to cross into Lithuania and tried to return to Belarus.