成人快手

A court in Belarus has sentenced a Russian student to six years in jail, one year after she and her dissident journalist partner were removed from a Ryanair plane and arrested. Sofia Sapega was travelling with Roman Protasevich to Lithuania when their flight was forcibly diverted to Minsk. The case sparked worldwide condemnation and fresh sanctions against the government of Alexander Lukashenko. The court said she was guilty of inciting social enmity and discord. She was also found guilty of illegally collecting and disseminating information about the private life of an unnamed person without his consent. The authorities in Belarus had previously accused her of organising riots.

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 President Lukashenko that began in the summer of 2020. Newshour has been speaking to Franak Via膷orka, senior advisor to the Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.

"It's shocking... It's unexpected. We expected that she would be under home arrest or perhaps released."

"Perhaps the regime decided to punish her and scare all the others who might publicly condemn Lukashenko's regime. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She became a victim of a cruel authoritarian ruler."

Photo shows: Sofia Sapega who has been sentenced to six years in jail by a court in Belarus. Credit Reuters

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