Belarus pardons opposition activist taken off Ryanair flight, state media say

Belarus has pardoned an opposition activist who was arrested in 2021 after the Belarusian government forced the landing of a commercial flight on which he was flying through the skies, state media reported Monday.

The activist, Roman Protasevich, 28, was the editor of Nexta, a channel on the Telegram messaging app that was instrumental in organizing mass protests against President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko after his disputed 2020 election victory. The details of the arrest of Mr. Protasevich pulled international attention.

A Belarusian court sentenced Mr Protasevich in May to eight years in prison for crimes, including acts of terrorism and insulting the president. But on Monday Belta, the Belarusian state news agency, reported that Mr Protasevich had told journalists he had been pardoned, calling it “great news.”

Such leniency for someone who was an active member of the opposition is unusual in Belarus, where Mr Lukashenko has been in power for almost three decades. a long-standing pattern by silence dissenting opinions and the violent suppression of opponents.

After the decision, said Mr. Protasevich that he “was insanely grateful to the country and personally to the president” for his pardon, according to a video published by Belta.

Like many Belarusian activists, Mr Protasevich had fled into exile. But in May 2021, he was on a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania when a Belarusian fighter jet forced the plane to land in Minsk, the Belarusian capital. Security agents arrested him on the asphalt together with his Russian girlfriend, Sophia Sapega.

After the arrest, Mr. Protasevich made a confession that was broadcast on state television apologizing for his actions, which his family said were coerced. His statements included praise for Mr. Lukashenko and an admission that he tried to overthrow him.

In June 2021, Mr. Protasevich denied betraying anyone, but acknowledged it “Many people consider me a traitor” for his cooperation with the Belarusian authorities after his arrest.

Ms. Sapega, who was arrested with him, was sentenced to six years in prison in Belarus. Her request for a pardon was denied.

More than 1,500 people in Belarus are considered are political prisoners by rights groups and many would be serving their sentences in appalling conditions.