TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Belarusian rights organization revealed on Thursday that at least 10 political prisoners have been released, following a commitment made this week by the nation's authoritarian leader to set seriously ill detainees free, all of whom were imprisoned in relation to mass protests nearly four years ago.

Pavel Sapelko, a representative from the Viasna human rights group, informed The Associated Press that those who were released are not prominent individuals whose freedom has been a focal point for the West.

According to Viasna, more than 1,400 people remain imprisoned for political reasons in Belarus, among them is Ales Bialiatski, Viasna’s founder and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Sapelko shared that Ryhor Kastusiou, an opposition leader battling cancer who previously stood against President Alexander Lukashenko in the 2010 elections, was released on Wednesday. However, Sapelko withheld the names of other individuals who were also freed.

“We hoped for a large-scale amnesty, expecting the release of hundreds of prisoners, but so far, we're only witnessing sporadic releases,” Sapelko remarked. “The repression in the country continues, and while ten individuals have been freed, the authorities have arrested twenty more during the same period.”

Lukashenko, in power since 1994, has consistently crushed dissent and clamped down on independent media throughout his rule. The scale of repression reached new heights during the protests that erupted after the 2020 presidential election, from which a contested outcome handed him a sixth term.

Many opposition leaders, including Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who ran against Lukashenko in that election, were forced to seek refuge outside of Belarus.