OREANDA-NEWS  The press secretary of the President of Belarus, Natalia Eismont, confirmed the information about the release of US citizen Yuri Zenkovich, who was previously charged with preparing an assassination attempt on the president and seizing power in the republic.

"Yes, at the request of the US presidential administration, Yuri Leonidovich Zenkovich, a citizen of the United States of America, was released. This decision has been made," said Eismont, quoted by the telegram channel Pool One, which is close to the presidential press service.

"As for whether he was justly or unfairly detained, listen-watch the interviews he gave and judge for yourself," she added.

Earlier, the head of the US State Department, Marco Rubio, said that "Belarus has released another unfairly detained US citizen." However, his name was not mentioned. CNN TV channel, citing its source, stated that it was about Yuri Zenkovich.

In September 2022, Zenkovich was sentenced to 11 years in prison to serve his sentence in a high-security penal colony. He, like a number of other defendants in the case, was accused of conspiracy to seize power unconstitutionally, as well as of creating and leading an extremist group, calling for the seizure of state power, and inciting social hatred and discord committed by a group of individuals.

In April 2021, it was announced that a group of people had been detained who were preparing an assassination attempt on President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and members of his family. According to the security forces, they were also preparing an armed rebellion to seize power in Belarus. According to the KGB of Belarus, the US special services were involved in the assassination attempt.

Zenkovich, a Belarusian opposition politician, journalist and lawyer with U.S. and Belarusian citizenship, was detained in Moscow.