The news is surprising as it comes quickly. Less than three weeks after his eight-year prison sentence, Belarusian opposition journalist Roman Protassevich has been granted a presidential pardon, the official Belta news agency announced on Monday (22 May). “I have just signed all the documents certifying that I have been pardoned. This is of course great news.”, said the young man, arrested in May 2021 after the hijacking of his Ryanair airliner connecting Athens to Vilnius. This spectacular interception had raised international indignation and triggered new Western sanctions against this former Soviet republic.
Roman Protassevich, 28, is the co-founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, which played a key role in the massive protests against Alexander Lukashenko after his disputed re-election on August 9, 2020. The protest movement, on an unprecedented scale, was brutally suppressed.
The journalist, prosecuted for more than 1,500 crimes, had been placed under house arrest until his trial. He was sentenced on May 3 to eight years in prison, including for organizing mass riots, preparing to disturb public order and creating 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
The grace of the journalist is however hardly a surprise, according to analyst Artyom Shraibman. “Protassevich was very helpful to the authorities. Not only did he agree to cooperate with them by giving interviews to the official media, but he also discredited the democratic forces and gave information on other people. According to human rights defenders following this case, several dozen people have been arrested because of the information he provided. »
After his arrest, Roman Protassevich had indeed agreed to cooperate with the investigators and affirmed to repent in videos broadcast by Belarusian public television, recorded “ under duress “, according to the opposition. Since then, he appeared regularly in the official media to publicly defend Lukashenko’s policies. A practice reminiscent of that of the KGB under 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, adds Artyom Shraibman. His grace is a reward intended to encourage others to do the same. Otherwise, who will want to cooperate and betray their loved ones? »
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