Belarus pardons journalist Roman Protassevich

2023-05-22 16:15:36

Accused of public calls to “seize power” and to commit “terrorist acts”, and of insults to the head of state, Mr. Protassevich had been under house arrest until his trial before his sentence to eight years from prison. STRINGER / AFP-PH

Roman Protassevich, who was sentenced to eight years in prison at the beginning of May, has been released, the official Belta news agency reported on Monday (22 May). “I have just signed the appropriate documents certifying that I have been pardoned”told Belta Mr. Protassevich, 28, a former editor of the opposition media Nexta who had played a key role in challenging power in 2020. “I am very grateful to the country and, of course, to the president personally for this decision”he added in a video broadcast by Belta.

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He was arrested on May 23, 2021 with his partner, Sofia Sapega, after a Belarusian fighter jet diverted the Ryanair flight taking him from Athens to Vilnius, sparking outcry and Western sanctions. Sofia Sapega, a Russian citizen, was sentenced to six years in prison. Negotiations are underway between Minsk and Moscow so that she can be transferred to Russia to serve her sentence there.

Cooperation and repentance

The opposition media Nexta played a key role in mobilizing the protest movement against the re-election, deemed fraudulent, in August 2020 of Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994 and an ally of Moscow.

He had notably relayed the calls to demonstrate and broadcast images of the mobilization and police repression. It had been worth Nexta to be banned and classified as “terrorist organization” by Belarusian justice.

After his arrest, Mr. Protassevich agreed to cooperate with the investigation and said he repented, in videos broadcast by Belarusian public television, recorded ” under duress “ according to the opposition.

Accused of public calls to ” take power “to commit “terrorist acts” and insults to the Head of State, Mr. Protassevitch had been placed under house arrest until his trial before his sentence to eight years in prison.

Two other of his colleagues in exile abroad, Stepan Poutilo and Yan Roudik, were sentenced in absentia to 20 and 19 years’ imprisonment respectively, in this emblematic case of repression in Belarus. .

The World with AFP