TALLINN, Estonia -- Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 30 prisoners convicted for taking part in protests, the presidential office said Friday.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled leader of the Belarusian opposition, expressed appreciation for the action but declared her commitment to continue the fight until all of the nearly 1,400 political detainees in the country are released.

Lukashenko's office stated that he has granted pardons to 14 women and 16 men, including some elderly individuals and those with serious illnesses. The office didn't disclose their identities.

The 2020 presidential election, widely perceived as fraudulent both domestically and internationally, secured Lukashenko's sixth term in office and sparked the largest protests and crackdown on dissent in Belarus since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Lukashenko's administration responded to the protests with a severe crackdown, resulting in the arrest of over 35,000 individuals and the assault of thousands. Many opposition figures were found guilty and sentenced to lengthy prison terms, while others sought refuge abroad.

Lukashenko, who this year marked three decades in power , has managed to survive the protests due to unwavering support from Moscow. He permitted Russian forces to utilize Belarusian territory to invade Ukraine in 2022 and allowed Moscow to deploy some tactical nuclear weapons within Belarus.

The Viasna human rights group estimates that Belarus currently holds around 1,400 political prisoners, including the group's founder and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Ales Bialiatski . Viasna reported earlier this month that 65,000 individuals have been detained since the start of the protests.

In July, Belarusian authorities freed 18 political prisoners who were seriously ill, including opposition leader Ryhor Kastusiou, who was battling cancer.

Tsikhanouskaya, who was compelled to leave Belarus under government pressure after challenging Lukashenko in the 2020 election, stated Friday that the pardoning of 30 additional political prisoners was “a small but significant step forward.”

”But I am deeply saddened knowing that every day, more individuals are being held, and so many remain imprisoned," Tsikhanouskaya said. "We will not stop our efforts until each and every one of them is free.”