IAPL
The Russian girlfriend of a Belarusian opposition journalist who were both arrested when their plane was forced to land in Minsk last year triggering global outrage has gone on trial.
Sofia Sapega could face up to six years in jail if found guilty of charges that include “inciting social hatred” and “violence or threats” against police.
The closed-door hearing began on March 28 in the western city of Hrodna.
Sapega, 24, was detained with Belarusian opposition activist Raman Pratasevich, 26, in May when Belarus scrambled a military jet to force a Ryanair passenger jet flying over its airspace to land in Minsk. Many countries regarded the diversion as a “state hijacking.”
After the plane landed, law enforcement immediately arrested the two, who were flying from Athens to the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. They were later put under house arrest.
Human Rights Watch has described the arrests as part of a “purge” of civil society in Belarus by Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Pratasevich faces charges of being behind civil disturbances that followed a disputed presidential election in August 2020, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
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https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-sapega-trial-pratasevich-lukashenka/31774271.html
https://www.intellinews.com/belarus-grants-political-asylum-to-us-citizen-239436/
