Roman Protasevich during a briefing for journalists and diplomats organized by the Belarusian Foreign Ministry in Minsk, June 14, 2021. STRINGER / AFP
The news is surprising as it comes quickly. Less than three weeks after his eight-year sentence, Belarusian opposition journalist Roman Protasevich has been granted a presidential pardon, the official Belta news agency said on Monday (May 22). “I have just signed all the documents confirming my pardon. This is of course great news,” said the young man, who was arrested in May 2021 after his Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Vilnius was hijacked. This spectacular interception had provoked international outrage and triggered new Western sanctions against this former Soviet republic.
Roman Protasevich, 28, is a co-founder of Telegram channel Nexta, which played a key role in the massive protests against Alexander Lukashenko following his controversial re-election on August 9, 2020, which was brutally suppressed.
The journalist, who has been charged with more than 1,500 crimes, was under house arrest pending his trial. He was sentenced on May 3 to eight years in prison for charges including organizing mass riots, preparing to disrupt public order and founding or leading an extremist group. His partner at the time of his arrest, Sofia Sapega, a Russian citizen, was sentenced to six years in prison.
A practice reminiscent of that of the KGB
However, according to analyst Artyom Shraibman, the journalist’s clemency comes as no surprise. “Protasevich was very helpful to the authorities. He not only agreed to cooperate with them by giving interviews to the official media, but also discredited the democratic forces and leaked information about other people. According to human rights defenders following the case, dozens of people were arrested based on the information he provided. »
After his arrest, Roman Protasevich actually agreed to cooperate with the investigators and expressed his remorse in videos broadcast by Belarusian public television, which the opposition said were recorded “under duress”. Since then, he has appeared regularly in the official media to publicly defend Lukashenko’s policies. A practice reminiscent of that of the KGB in the USSR, where dissidents were discredited by forcing them to collaborate with the Soviet regime. “He may have collaborated under pressure, but he is nonetheless a witness and collaborator who has provided valuable assistance to the regime,” Artyom Shraibman adds. His grace is a reward designed to encourage others to do the same. Who else would want to cooperate and betray their loved ones? »
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