Lukashenko pardons Belarus activist Roman Protasevich, who was arrested after flight was forced down
- A fighter plane had intercepted the Ryanair plane carrying the dissident journalist, making it land in Minsk, in an incident that caused an international shock
- Earlier this month, a court sentenced Protasevich to eight years in a penal colony for allegedly helping to coordinate mass protests against Lukashenko
A Belarusian former dissident journalist, arrested when his Ryanair flight was spectacularly intercepted and convicted this month to eight years in prison, has been pardoned, state media reported Monday.
Roman Protasevich, formerly an editor of the opposition media group Nexta, was arrested two years ago and accused of helping to coordinate mass protests against President Alexander Lukashenko’s re-election in 2020.
He was detained in May 2021 after his flight from Greece to Lithuania was intercepted by a Belarusian fighter plane and forced to land in Minsk.
Earlier this month, a court in the Moscow-allied country sentenced the 28-year-old to eight years in a penal colony. He was kept under house arrest after the trial.
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But on Monday, Belarusian state news agency Belta reported that Protasevich had been pardoned.