Alone in no man's land, one freed prisoner refused to leave Belarus

A man, believed to be Belarusian opposition politician Mikola Statkevich, who refused to cross into Lithuania with other freed prisoners after they were pardoned and released at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, a senior official in the exiled opposition told Reuters, sits in the no man's zone at the Belarus - Lithuania border crossing, September 11, 2025. In this screen grab taken from a handout video. State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) -In the neutral zone on the border between Belarus and Lithuania, an elderly man maintained a lonely vigil on Thursday.

Opposition politician Mikola Statkevich was the most prominent figure among 52 political prisoners freed earlier in the day by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump.