The Belarusian judiciary this Wednesday sentenced three journalists to terms ranging from eight to 20 years in prison, including Roman Protasevich, who was arrested in 2021 when the Minsk regime changed the course of the reporter’s plane.
Protasevich, the only defendant present at the Minsk Regional Court, was sentenced to eight years in prison, while Stepan Putilo, founder of NEXTA, and Yan Rudik, editor-in-chief of the same portal, were sentenced to 20 years and 19 years in prison. respectively. .
Putilo and Rudik are outside of Belarus.
The Minsk Regional Court accused the journalists of attempting to “seize power”, as well as “terrorist attacks” and insulting the head of state.
The three journalists are the founders of NEXTA, a news portal that stood out for condemning the regime’s repression, especially during the wave of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko in 2020.
Roman Protasevich was arrested on May 23, 2021, as well as his companion Sofia Sapieha, with whom he flew aboard a Ryanair plane that was connecting between Athens and the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
The commercial aircraft was intercepted by a Belarusian Air Force military aircraft and forced to land in Minsk, sparking an international outcry against Lukashenka’s regime.
The NEXTA portal, which published images and news from the 2020 demonstrations, was designated a “terrorist organization” and ceased operations during the wave of repression that spanned the period after the presidential election, in which the opposition participated.
After his arrest, Protasevich agreed to cooperate with the judiciary, and public television aired videos saying he was sorry.
According to the Belarusian opposition, the journalist’s statements were recorded “under pressure.”
Protasevich has been under house arrest since June 2021, while Russian citizen Sofya Sapega was previously sentenced to six years in prison.
Currently, Minsk and Moscow are negotiating the transfer of Sofya Sapieha to Russia, where she will have to serve her sentence.