Belarusian authorities have freed 123 prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and key opposition figures Maria Kolesnikova and Viktar Babaryka, as part of a deal with Washington that lifted U.S. sanctions on the Eastern European country’s vital fertilizer exports.

The family of imprisoned Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova says it hasn't received a letter from her for a year.

A court in Belarus has sentenced two leading opposition activists to lengthy prison terms, the latest move in the relentless crackdown Belarusian authorities have unleashed on dissent after last year’s anti-government protests.

Leading opposition figures went on trial in Belarus Wednesday, part of a multi-pronged crackdown on dissent in the ex-Soviet nation that was rocked by months of protests.