Hersche has left a penal colony in Gomel where she was serving a 30-month jail term, the Department of Foreign Affairs told news agency Keystone-SDA, confirming a report by Swiss public radio SRF.
The 52-year-old was arrested in September 2020 and sentenced in December that year for taking part in anti-government protests in the Belarusian capital.
The Swiss embassy in Minsk plans to visit Hersche to assess the conditions of her detention, the foreign ministry said. Embassy officials have visited Hersche a total of 11 times to date and continue to offer her consular support.
According to SRF, a court last Friday ordered Hersche’s transfer for reasons that are unclear. It is also unknown whether the decision can be appealed.
Conditions are reportedly harsher at Prison No. 4. SRF cites information from a former inmate who said that he only saw sunshine for three months a year during his imprisonment.
The government of President Alexander Lukashenko has unleashed a sweeping crackdown on post-election protests, the biggest of which attracted up to 200,000 people. Human rights activists say more than 30,000 people have been detained and thousands beaten.
In January, a Swiss journalist was also briefly arrested by security forces in the streets of Minsk.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
How centuries of Swiss emigrants left their mark on the US
Bodycams: essential for good law enforcement, or a privacy risk?
Did you ever come across bodycams in your place of residence and if so, how do you think the use of bodycams alter the relationship between the public and (transport) police?
This content was published on
Swiss wheelchair racer Catherine Debrunner won the 5,000 metres to bring home Switzerland’s first gold medal at the Paralympics in Paris.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland slaps additional sanctions on Belarus
This content was published on
The Swiss government has announced further economic sanctions against Belarus, including trade bans as well as restrictions in the financial sector.
Jailed Swiss-Belarus citizen on hunger strike in Minsk
This content was published on
A Swiss-Belarus dual national who was jailed after participating in anti-government protests in Minsk , has been on hunger strike in prison.
Foreign ministry unaware of Swiss source of Belarus bomb threat
This content was published on
Swiss authorities have reiterated their condemnation of the grounding of a Ryanair plane in Minsk on Sunday and the arrest of two passengers onboard.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.