Belarus’ authorities may use Pratasievič’s pardon for propaganda – Reporters Without Borders

May 24, BPN. “Raman Pratasievič’s pardon seems to be the epilogue to a vast masquerade that the [Alaksandr] Łukašenka government has been staging for the past two years,” said Jeanne Cavelier, head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk commenting on the prominent journalist’s predicament.

Authorities keep using the journalist for propaganda purposes and his future remains uncertain, she noted.

Pratasievič’s pardon should not overshadow the manipulation of his arrest by the authorities, RSF said noting that his appearance reflects the “ordeal he has undergone since his dramatic arrest” two years ago and the intense psychological pressure that he was subjected to.

“We are waiting to see whether he has recovered his freedom of movement and will be able to leave the country,” Cavelier said noting that 33 journalists still remain behind bars in Belarus.

On May 3, the Minsk Regional Court sentenced Pratasievič, 27, to eight years in prison, branding his work as extremism and a threat to national security. His pardon was announced on May 22.

The EU-based Nexta founder, Ściapan Puciła, and journalist Jan Rudzik were given 20 and 19 years in prison, respectively, without the defendants being present.

Raman Pratasievič and Russian national Sofya Sapega were arrested after the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk in 2021. Pratasievič remained under house arrest as he “fully complied with the terms of his pre-trial cooperation agreement.” He pleaded guilty at the trial.

Belarusian authorities hunted him down because they considered his Nexta media outlet responsible for the political unrest that followed the disputed presidential election in 2020.

In May 2022, the Hrodna Regional Court sentenced Sapega to six years in prison. In mid-April, Belarusian authorities granted her petition to be extradited to serve her sentence in Russia.