Raman Pratasevich, a former editor of an opposition Telegram channel who was handed a prison term earlier this month after the commercial flight he was on was forced to land in Minsk in 2021, told journalists on May 22 that he had received a pardon. On May 3, a Minsk court sentenced Pratasevich to eight years in prison. His codefendants, Stsyapan Putsila and Yan Rudzik, who were tried in absentia, to 20 years and 19 years in prison, respectively, on charges stemming from their online coverage of unprecedented mass protests against officials results of the August 2020 presidential election. To read the original report by RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, click here.
Belarusian Blogger Raman Pratasevich, Sentenced To Eight Years In Prison, Says He Was Pardoned
Belarus journalist Raman Pratasevich takes part in a press conference about the forced landing of the Ryanair passenger plane on which he was traveling, in Minsk in June 2021.