Belarus pardons activist jailed after dramatic plane hijacking

A dissident blogger detained in Belarus after his flight was forced to land in the Eastern European country has received a presidential pardon and escaped close to a decade behind bars, state media reported.

Speaking to government-run news outlet Belta on Monday, Roman Protasevich said he had “just signed all the relevant documents for my pardon,” and “personally thanked” Belarus’ autocratic leader Alexander Lukashenko for the decision.

The 28-year-old was editor-in-chief of opposition Telegram channel Nexta during widespread protests that followed the country’s disputed elections in 2020. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets to demonstrate after Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since soon after the fall of the Soviet Union, declared victory amid reports from international observers that the vote was rigged in his favor. Tens of thousands were detained and several people died as security forces cracked down on the rallies.

Along with many other protest movement leaders, Protasevich fled abroad and continued to cover the country in exile from Poland. However, in May 2021, he was aboard a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania that was ordered to land while flying through Belarusian airspace and arrested on the tarmac. Authorities in the country used a fake bomb threat to justify the interception, triggering a wave of condemnation from Western nations and restrictions on the country’s airlines.

An investigation by Polish officials into the incident accused Belarus of committing an “act of state terrorism” in order to detain the blogger.

Following his arrest, Belarusian state media released a series of videos in which Protasevich apologized personally to Lukashenko for his anti-government activism. According to Protasevich’s family, the tearful prime-time appearances were the result of “abuse, torture and threats” suffered in captivity, and he appeared visibly injured.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition leader who says she was the true winner of the 2020 election, has previously demanded Protasevich’s release and said he is facing “physical and moral pressure” from authorities.

More than 1,500 political prisoners are still being held in Belarus including Tsikhanouskaya’s husband, exiled opposition figures say.

Belarus is a close ally of Moscow, and Lukashenko will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.