Emanuel Zelster Pardoned!

Try to remember all the way back to March 2008, when things were still complicated with the world and American citizen Emanuel Zelster was illegally detained and betean by the KGB in Belarus. Well, according to the New York Times, he's FINALLY been pardoned by Lukashenko. Some say Lukashenko's heart grew three times today.

The pardon comes as Belarus, once Moscow’s most loyal post-Soviet ally, tacks sharply to the West. For almost a year, Mr. Lukashenko has been making moves to accommodate Western criticism, like granting amnesty to a series of political prisoners. This spring, Belarus was invited to join the European Union’s Eastern Partnership, and it received an additional International Monetary Fund loan of $1 billion, increasing its total pledge to $3.4 billion.

I don't even have the words. It's so rare to hear good news. Whatever the reasons for his relese, I'm glad he's finally been freed.