Roman Protassevich, who was sentenced to eight years in prison at the beginning of May, has been released, the official Belta agency reported on Monday (May 22). "I have just signed the appropriate documents certifying that I have been pardoned," Mr. Protassevich, 28, a former editor of opposition outlet Nexta who played a key role in the power challenge, told Belta. 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.
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 to transfer her to Russia to serve her sentence.
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. This had earned Nexta to be banned and classified as a "terrorist organization" by the 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 "seize power", commit "terrorist acts" and insults to the head of state, Mr. Protassevich had been under house arrest until his trial before his sentence to eight years in prison. 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. .
