In Belarus, Protasevich was sentenced to 10 years in prison
The public prosecutor of Belarus has asked for 10 years in prison for the former editor-in-chief of the Nexta Telegram channel, Roman Protasevich. This was reported by the Russian agency “Sputnik Belarus” on Friday, April 21.
The state prosecutor’s office asked the court to take into account that Protasevich fulfilled the terms of the pre-trial agreement, and therefore, as punishment for several articles, he cannot be sentenced to more than half of the maximum sentence, and for a number of articles – no more than two-thirds of the term. Two other defendants in the case – Nexta founder Stepan Putilo and former Telegram channel editor Yan Rudik – are abroad and on trial in absentia. The state prosecutor’s office asked them to serve 20 and 19 years in prison in a penal colony, respectively.
The Nexta trial began in February 2023. As reported by state news agency Belta, the defendants are accused of committing more than 1,500 crimes, including articles on organizing mass riots, calling for sanctions against Belarus, creating or leading an extremist formation, as well as plotting to seize power. Putilo is charged with 13 criminal articles, Rudik – 12 and Protasevich – 11 articles.
Arrest of Protasevchia and Sofia Sapieha
Protasevich was detained in Minsk on May 23, 2021, when Belarusian dispatchers forced the Ryanair plane, on which he flew from Athens to Vilnius, to make an emergency landing at the airport due to a “mining” report. An International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) investigation later determined that the bomb report was deliberately false and was brought to the attention of the crew under the direction of senior Belarusian government officials.
On board was Protasevich’s girlfriend, Russian citizen Sofya Sapega, who was also detained. In May 2022, a Belarusian court sentenced her to six years in prison in the case of “incitement to hatred”. In April of this year, Belarus launched the procedure to return the girl to Russia.
Source: DW
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