MINSK – Roman Protasevich, a Belarusian journalist, has been given a 14-year prison sentence by a court in Minsk. Protasevich was arrested in May 2021 after Belarusian authorities diverted his Ryanair flight, resulting in international condemnation. He was charged with a range of offenses, including conspiring against the state, inciting acts of terrorism, and slandering the country’s President, Alexander Lukashenko. Protasevich is known for his role in covering last year’s mass protests against the disputed election that granted Lukashenko a sixth term in office. Stsiapan Putsila, the founder of the opposition Telegram channel Nexta, and Yan Rudzik, another editor, were given 20 and 19 years in prison, respectively, in absentia.
Belarusian authorities arrested Sofia Sapega, Protasevich’s girlfriend, and sentenced her to six years in prison in May 2022 following the same case. Protasevich, who co-founded Nexta, is infamous for the use of the app during the mass protests in 2020, leading to the detention of protesters. After the forced landing of a Ryanair commercial plane in Minsk, EU countries imposed sanctions on Belarus, including the prohibition of their planes flying over the nation.
Belarusian opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, referred to Protasevich’s sentence as a “fake trial” and a “disregard for justice.” The sentencing comes a few months after Lukashenko signed a law allowing officials to execute those convicted of treason, which elicited international condemnation. Critics widely criticized Protasevich’s detention, which led to a plane being diverted, as a violation of international law.
In response to the verdict, the international community spoke out against Belarusian authorities’ actions, with the EU condemning the situation and imposing further sanctions on Lukashenko’s administration. Protasevich’s sentencing is viewed as part of a broader government crackdown on opposition figures in Belarus.
