Roman Protasevich: Belarus pardons activist hauled off flight

A Belarusian opposition activist arrested after his Ryanair flight was forced to land in the capital Minsk has been pardoned, state media reported.

Roman Protasevich was hauled off his flight and arrested on charges of inciting unrest in May 2021.

Earlier this month, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

It is not immediately clear what the pardon means for his jail sentence, which state media previously reported would be served in a penal colony.

The charges Mr Protasevich was sentenced for include: organising mass riots, calling for sanctions against Belarus, creating or leading an extremist group, and conspiring to seize power.

He was hauled from a plane and arrested alongside his girlfriend, Russian citizen Sofia Sapega, in May 2021 after their flight from Greece to Lithuania was suddenly diverted to Minsk by Belarusian air traffic control. They claimed there was a bomb threat.

The arrests caused an international outcry and led to the EU imposing sanctions against Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

Western countries accused Belarus of hijacking the Ryanair plane under the pretext of the bomb threat.

Mr Protasevich was editor of the Nexta Telegram channel, based in Poland, which published videos and information from the wave of giant street protests against Mr Lukashenko that began in the summer of 2020.

After Mr Protasevich's arrest, he made confessions and issued apologetic statements on state television which his family said were forced.