Belarusian blogger Protasevich sentenced to eight years in prison

Two years after his arrest, Belarusian government critic Roman Protasevich has been sentenced to eight years in prison. The OM accused the 27-year-old blogger, among other things, of plans to seize power illegally.

The Belarusian state news agency Belta reported this on Wednesday, citing its correspondent in the Minsk courtroom. Internationally, Protasevich, who used to be editor-in-chief of the opposition Telegram channel Nexta, is considered a political prisoner in authoritarian Belarus.

Protasevich’s spectacular arrest in May 2021 sparked outrage far beyond Belarus. He was on a flight from Athens to Vilnius with his then-girlfriend Sofia Sapega when Belarusian authorities forced the Ryanair plane to land in Minsk over an alleged bomb threat. Both he and Sapega were subsequently arrested. Sapega, who is a Russian citizen, was later sentenced to six years in prison.

After his arrest, Protasevich made several appearances on Belarusian state television, distancing himself from his opposition activities. However, relatives assume that he made his statements under pressure and torture.

Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been known, at least since the suppression of anti-government protests in the summer of 2020, to crack down on opposition in his country with extreme harshness. (aeg/sda/dpa)