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Roman Protasevich

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In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Dmitriyevich and the family name is Protasevich.

Roman Protasevich
Роман Протасевич
Раман Пратасевіч
File:Роман Протасевич.png
Born
Roman Dmitryevich Protasevich

(1995-05-05) 5 May 1995 (age 29)[1]
Minsk,[citation needed] Belarus
EducationBelarusian State University
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • activist
  • photographer
Years active2011–present
OrganizationNexta
MovementYoung Front
PartnerSofia Sapega

Roman Dmitriyevich Protasevich (Russian: Роман Дмитриевич Протасевич; born 5 May 1995), or Raman Dzmitryevič Pratasevič (Belarusian: Раман Дзмітрыевіч Пратасевіч, romanized: Raman Dzmitryyevich Pratasyevich), is a Belarusian journalist and activist. He was the former editor-in-chief of the Telegram channel Nexta, as well as the chief editor of the Telegram channel "Belarus of the Brain". On 23 May 2021, Protasevich was detained by the Belarusian government after his commercial flight was intercepted in Belarusian airspace by a Belarusian fighter jet and directed to land in Minsk.

Personal life

Protasevich was born on 5 May 1995 in Minsk,[citation needed] Belarus. He moved to Poland in 2019.[2] He is in a relationship with Russian citizen Sofia Sapega, who was also detained by Belarusian authorities on 23 May 2021.[3][4] According to Sapega's mother she and Protasevich had known each other for about six months prior to his arrest in May 2021.[5] Sapega was born (in the Russian city of) Vladivostok but has spent most of her life in Belarus.[5][4] At the time of her arrest she was an international law student at the European Humanities University in Vilnius.[5]

Career

Opposition activism in Belarus (2011–2019)

Protasevich has been an opposition activist since his youth; he participated in protests in the early 2010s.[6] Since 2011, he has been a member of the opposition organization Young Front.[7] He co-administered a major group in VKontakte, a social network, in opposition to President Alexander Lukashenko until 2012, when it was hacked by the authorities.[8] He was present for a month in the Euromaidan protests.[9] He studied journalism at Belarusian State University until he was expelled in 2018.[10] In 2017, he was accused of participating in an unauthorized event in Kurapaty, but he managed to prove in court that he had an alibi for that day.[11] He worked in the Belarusian media as a journalist.[12] He also worked for the Belarusian edition of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty;[13] in 2017–18, as an independent journalist, he had been a Václav Havel Fellow in Journalism in Prague, co-sponsored by the broadcaster.[14] As of March 2019, he was a photographer for Euroradio.fm and worked at the meeting of prime ministers of Austria (Sebastian Kurz) and Belarus (Sergey Rumas) in Minsk.[15] He also photographed Alexander Lukashenko at least once during 2019 European Games.[16] In addition to photographs, he made at least one video report for Euroradio about Chechen refugees trying to move to the EU through Belarus.[16]

Opposition activism in exile (2019–2021)

In 2019, Protasevich moved to Poland.[2] On 22 January 2020, he announced that he asked for political asylum in Poland.[6]

As of 2020, Protasevich ran the Nexta Telegram channel together with its co-creator Sciapan Pucila (Stepan Putilo).[12] In August 2020, after Belarusian authorities tried to disable internet access during the 2020 presidential election, Nexta became one of the main sources of information about the protests against alleged rigged elections and started to coordinate the protests.[12] The channel had nearly 800,000 new subscribers in a week.[12] In September 2020, Protasevich left Nexta.[2][13]

On 5 November 2020, Protasevich and Pucila were accused of organizing mass riots (article 293 of the Belarusian criminal code), actions that grossly violate public order (article 342) and incitement of social enmity based on professional affiliation (article 130, part 3). On 19 November, the Belarusian KGB put them on the "list of organizations and individuals involved in terrorist activities", for "mass unrest".[17]

On 2 March 2021, Protasevich announced that he had begun working for the "Belarus of the Brain" Telegram channel formerly edited by a detained blogger, Ihar Losik.[18][13]

Azov Battalion allegations

According to the BBC, Belarusian authorities have sought to portray Protasevich as an "extremist with right-wing sympathies" to "muddy the waters" on his detention. The Belarus presidential administration's state-run newspaper, Belarus Segodnya, has claimed that Protasevich was a mercenary who "fought in eastern Ukraine with the nationalist Azov Battalion, which has been accused of neo-Nazi links".[4] Protasevich has previously said he spent a year in Ukraine covering the war in Donbas as a journalist and photographer.[4] Azov Battalion founder Andriy Biletsky wrote that Protasevich “actually fought with the Azov Battalion and other units against the occupation of Ukraine, but as a journalist his weapon was not the machine gun, but the word,” and that he was wounded at the 2015 Shyrokyne standoff.[19] Roman's father, in an interview with "Nastoyashee Vremya" channel, claimed that his son was in the Donbass fighting alongside the Ukrainian army. He later denied these claims.[20]

On 27 May 2021 the Luhansk People's Republic, an unrecognized quasi-state and participant in the war in Donbas, opened a criminal case against Protasevich accusing him of having "committed a number of particularly serious crimes, which manifested themselves in the shelling of Donetsk People's Republic settlements, which caused the death and injury of civilians, destruction and damage to civilian infrastructure."[21] They claimed that during his stay with the Azov Battalion Protasevich had used heavy weapons, particular mentioned were MT-12 guns, D-30 howitzers, mortars and anti-aircraft guns.[21]

Ryanair Flight 4978 and arrest

Main article: Ryanair Flight 4978
File:Roman Protasevich.jpg
Protasevich seen here in the video released by Belarusian authorities several hours after his arrest on 23 May 2021, following the forced landing in Minsk.

On 23 May 2021, Ryanair Flight 4978 (Athens–Vilnius), with Protasevich on board, was intercepted in Belarusian airspace by a Belarusian fighter jet[22] and diverted by Belarusian air traffic control to Minsk National Airport.[23][24] While in Athens, Protasevich sent messages through Telegram saying he had seen a bald man at the airport following him and taking photographs of him.[25] Minsk airport staff said they landed the plane due to a report of a bomb aboard. Lithuanian airport authorities stated that they had not been informed of a bomb threat, and that the cause for the diversion had instead been a conflict between a passenger and a crew member.[22] The plane changed course just before it would have entered Lithuanian airspace.[25] According to a witness cited by Reuters, upon hearing of the diversion to Minsk, Protasevich immediately gave some of his luggage to his girlfriend.[26] In Minsk, Protasevich and his girlfriend were removed from the plane and arrested. No bomb was found aboard.[23][24][27] Despite the fact that the plane was closer to Vilnius, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, according to his press service, personally ordered the plane redirected to Minsk and sent a Belarusian Air Force MiG-29 fighter aircraft to escort it.[23][28][29]

According to a Ryanair representative cited by Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, it was Belarusian air traffic control that informed the plane crew about the threat and told them to change course to Minsk.[30] A video was posted in the Belarusian plane spotting community, allegedly showing the intercepting MiG-29 equipped with air-to-air missiles.[31]

Shortly after the landing in Minsk, Protasevich was taken away by Belarusian police.[14] A fellow passenger was reported to have heard Protasevich speak of the possibility of facing the death penalty, which exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya warned about the same day. The mass unrest charges against Protasevich could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years.[32][33][34] He had traveled to Athens to cover a visit by Tsikhanouskaya to the Delphi Economic Forum, an international forum in Greece.[32]

The day after the arrest, Belarusian state television released a video of Protasevich, with dark markings on his forehead, in which he stated that he would confess to organizing protests and that he did not have health problems, after unconfirmed reports of a heart condition.[35] Protasevich's father said the video appeared forced and his nose seemed to have been broken,[36] while allies of Protasevich, including exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, said the video "is how Roman looks under physical and moral pressure".[37] The Viasna Human Rights Centre and other Belarusian human rights organizations called Protasevich a "political prisoner" in a joint statement and demanded his immediate release.[38] Amnesty International called for the release of Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, saying "their arrest is arbitrary and unlawful, and its circumstances are nothing short of horrifying".[39]

The authorities obstructed parents and a hired lawyer Inessa Olenskaya from visiting Roman and obtaining any information about his location and medical condition until 27 May. On 25 May, Olenskaya has not been allowed to enter SIZO No.1 prison in Minsk and did not get a call back from the Investigative Committee officers.[40][41] The Minsk branch of the Investigative Committee delayed the process of signing the charging documents, and the SIZO staff later claimed that they don't have Protasevich.[41] On 27 May 2021, his mother held a press conference, calling for medical help to Roman. She claimed to have no information about Roman's location and complaned that she couldn't send him any necessary things and messages via lawyer.[42][43] Olenskaya made a formal complaint to the office of Belarusian Prosecutor-General for being not allowed to visit her client and made a motion to make a medical examination of Roman.[44] According to Roman's grandparents, on 23 May someone visited them introducing as a "Roman's first lawyer" and unsuccessfully asked to sign document making him a legal representative of Roman.[45] On the evening of 27 May, Olenskaya was allowed to meet with Roman, but due to a non-disclosure agreement with authorities she was allowed to tell the journalists neither his location, nor his legal status.[46]

Arrest of Sofia Sapega

Protasevich's girlfriend Sofia Sapega was also arrested on Ryanair Flight 4978.[5] She was remanded in custody for two months.[47] According to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sapega was accused of breaking Belarusian law in August and September of 2020.[5] But they did not specify any details on what laws she allegedly broke.[5] In a video released by Belarusian authorities she claimed that she was an editor of "Black Book of Belarus".[5] "Black Book of Belarus" is a Telegram channel which has published the personal information of security officials and that Belarus has classified as an extremist group.[5] Sapega's mother and several of her classmates told BBC News that she was not involved in the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests, and had been living in Vilnius since August 2020.[5] (Just like all relatives) Sapega's mother was denied visiting her daughter in prison.[47]

In a 26 May 2021 speech in Belarusian parliament President Alexander Lukashenko labelled Protasevich and Sapega "agents of Western intelligence."[47]

References

  1. ^ "КДБ унёс Сцяпана Пуцілу і Рамана Пратасевіча ў спіс тэрарыстаў". Наша Ніва. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Главный редактор Nexta Роман Протасевич уходит из проекта" [Nexta Editor-in-Chief Roman Protasevich is leaving the project] (in Russian). 28 September 2020. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Families in anguish over pair held in Belarus". BBC News. 25 May 2021. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d "Belarus plane: What we know and what we don't". BBC. 25 May 2021. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Belarus plane: Who is Russian student Sofia Sapega?, BBC News (27 May 2021)
  6. ^ a b "Бывший журналист Еврорадио Роман Протасевич попросил убежища в Польше" [Former Euroradio journalist Roman Protasiewicz sought asylum in Poland]. Новости Беларуси | euroradio.fm (in Russian). 22 January 2020. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Роман Протасевич: О политике в семье не говорим" [Roman Protasiewicz: We don't talk about politics in the family]. belaruspartisan.by (in Russian). 5 December 2011. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  8. ^ "В Минске задержаны модераторы социальных сетей" [Moderators of social networks detained in Minsk]. spring96.org (in Russian). 30 August 2012. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Братская война. За что воюет белорусский доброволец в Донбассе" [Fraternal War. What Belarusian volunteers are fighting for in Donbass]. ФОКУС (in Russian). 16 June 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  10. ^ "З журфака адлічылі блогера Рамана Пратасевіча" [Blogger Raman Protasevich was expelled from the journalism school]. novychas.by (in Belarusian). 27 January 2018. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Суд оправдал блогера Романа Протасевича" [Court acquits blogger Roman Protasevich]. spring96.org. 17 April 2017. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d Goryashko, Sergei (12 August 2020). ""Мне не по себе от кадров, где люди с дырками в теле". Интервью главреда Nexta - крупнейшего протестного канала в Беларуси" ["I feel uncomfortable with footage of people with holes in their bodies." Interview with the head of Nexta, the largest protest channel in Belarus]. BBC News Русская служба (in Russian). Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "Кто такой Роман Протасевич: журналист, блогер, "террорист" – биография" [Who is Roman Protasevich: journalist, blogger, "terrorist" - biography]. officelife.media (in Russian). 20 May 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  14. ^ a b "EU Demands Belarus Explain 'Unprecedented' Diversion Of Passenger Plane, Detention Of Journalist". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  15. ^ "На вечере памяти Сергей Румас выступил перед австрийским канцлером по-белорусски" [Sergei Rumas addressed the Austrian chancellor at a memorial evening in Belarusian]. Новости Беларуси | euroradio.fm. 29 March 2019. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  16. ^ a b Макей на раздачы бургераў і злы Лукашэнка: найлепшыя кадры Рамана Пратасевіча
  17. ^ "NEXTA journalists now on terrorist wanted list". Belsat TV. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Протасевич: теперь работаю в проекте "Беларусь головного мозга" Игоря Лосика" [Protasiewicz: now working in Igor Losik's brain Belarus project]. Новости Беларуси | euroradio.fm (in Russian). 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  19. ^ (in Ukrainian) Protasevych worked as a journalist in Donbass - Biletsky, Ukrayinska Pravda (26 May 2021)
  20. ^ "Черное солнце Романа Протасевича. Воевал ли экс-главред "Нехты" в "Азове"". strana.ua. 26 May 2021.
  21. ^ a b (in Ukrainian) The militants "opened a case" against Protasevich, accusing him of particularly serious crimes, Ukrayinska Pravda (27 May 2021)
  22. ^ a b Lister, Tim; Pavlova, Olga (23 May 2021). "Belarus activist arrested after fighter jet intercepts his Ryanair flight". CNN. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  23. ^ a b c "Belarus opposition says government forced Ryanair plane to land to arrest journalist". Deutsche Welle. 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  24. ^ a b "У аэрапорце Мінска, рэзка змяніўшы курс, прызямліўся самалёт Афіны – Вільня – на борце быў Раман Пратасевіч". Наша Ніва (in Belarusian). Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  25. ^ a b Troinovski, Anton; Nechepurenko, Ivan (23 May 2021). "Belarus Forces Down Plane to Seize Dissident; Europe Sees 'State Hijacking'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  26. ^ Sytas, Andrius. "Minutes to touchdown: the moment a Belarusian dissident knew his time was up". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  27. ^ Plikūnė, Dalia; Užusienytė, Jogintė (23 May 2021). "Be opozicionieriaus ir jo draugės į Lietuvą negrįžo ir dar keturi lėktuvo keleiviai: kas jie – kol kas mįslė". DELFI (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  28. ^ Ошуркевич, Дарья Спевак, Татьяна (23 May 2021). "Самолет Ryanair экстренно посадили в Минске. Самое важное - Люди Onliner". Onliner. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ "У аэрапорце "Мінск" затрыманы блогер Раман Пратасевіч". spring96.org. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  30. ^ "Ryanair: об угрозе в самолете с экс-главредом NEXTA на борту сообщили диспетчеры из Беларуси". Новая газета. 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  31. ^ "Бывшего главреда телеграм-канала Nexta Романа Протасевича задержали в Минске, посадив самолет. Что об этом известно". Настоящее Время. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  32. ^ a b Roth, Andrew (23 May 2021). "Belarus accused of 'hijacking' Ryanair flight diverted to arrest blogger". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  33. ^ "Belarus arrests opposition figure after flight diverted". Al Jazeera English. 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  34. ^ "В Минске задержали основателя Telegram-канала NEXTA. Для этого экстренно посадили самолет якобы из-за минирования | Громадское телевидение". hromadske.ua. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  35. ^ "Detained Belarus Activist Roman Protasevich Filmed 'Confessing'". AFP. 25 May 2021. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  36. ^ Marris, Sharon (25 May 2021). "Father of detained journalist Roman Protasevich: Video admission was 'forced'". Sky News. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  37. ^ "EU leaders sanction Belarus over arrest of Roman Protasevich, as dissident journalist appears in video from Minsk detention facility". ABC News. 25 May 2021. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  38. ^ "Immediately release political prisoner Raman Pratasevich!". Viasna Human Rights Centre. 24 May 2021. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  39. ^ "Belarus: Free journalist detained following forced emergency landing in Minsk". Amnesty International. 25 May 2021. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  40. ^ "Адвакат не можа сустрэцца з палітвязнем Раманам Пратасевічам". Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  41. ^ a b К Роману Протасевичу второй день не пускают адвоката
  42. ^ Belarus: Roman Protasevich's parents plea for help to save son and stop Lukashenko's 'evil'
  43. ^ [1]
  44. ^ Адвокат Протасевича подала жалобу в Генпрокуратуру с требованием разрешить встречу и медицинский осмотр
  45. ^ Адвокат Инесса Оленская: Уже второй день я не могу встретиться с Романом Протасевичем
  46. ^ Адваката Рамана Пратасевіча праз 4 дні пусцілі да падабароннага
  47. ^ a b c Belarus: I'm ready to beg for help, says mother of detained woman, BBC News (27 May 2021)

Further reading

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