Roman Protasevich, a dissident journalist, has been pardoned by the Belarusian authorities, reports the state-run Belta News.
Protasevich was arrested in 2021 after the Belarusian government issued a false bomb threat at his Ryanair flight and so forced the plane to land in Minsk. This “hijacking” caused outrage in the West and prompted a round of sanctions against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.
The Belarusian government sentenced Protasevich to eight years in prison earlier this month. He was accused of plotting a coup.
After Mr Protasevich’s arrest, he made confessions and issued apologetic statements on state television, which his family said were forced.
At his trial, the government brought charges of “inciting social hatred”, organising mass riots, and organising extremist groups that called for the overthrow of the Lukashenko government. In total, they accused him of over 1,500 criminal offences.
Following the pardon, Protasevich reacted happily according to state media: “I have signed all the documents about my pardon literally just now. This is, of course, simply wonderful news.”
It is unclear why the sudden pardon was issued.
Stepan Putilo and Yan Rudik, Protasevich’s former colleagues, were sentenced to 20 and 19 years in prison respectively, by a court, in their absence. They were accused of posting materials on the opposition Telegram channel Nexta, as part of a plot to take control. The authorities didn’t extend the pardon to these Nexta journalists, both of whom remain in exile.
After the protests against Lukashenko in 2020, Protasevich and Putilo were designated as extremists by the Belarusian government, and Nexta was labelled as a terrorist group. The channel included tips on how and where to demonstrate. It also shared videos of police violence against Belarusians during demonstrations.
Sofia Sapega, who ran a Belarusian opposition messaging app channel and was arrested along with Protasevich, was convicted of charges that included inciting social hatred. She was sentenced to six years in prison.
⚡Roman #Protasevich was pardoned.
Recently, a #Belarusian court sentenced him to 8 years in a penal colony. pic.twitter.com/JzJYRha0Ft
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 22, 2023
