Raman Pratasevich

Affiliated media: Telegram channel Nexta, Telegram channel Belarus of the Brain, Former editor

Incident date: May 3, 2023

Attack type:

• Court trial

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Minsk

Additional information:

The Minsk Regional Court issued a verdict in the case of Stsiapan Putsila, Yan Rudzik, and Raman Pratasevich, editors of the Telegram channels Nexta and Belarus of the Brain. Judge Vyachyaslau Tuleyka sentenced Pratasevich to 8 years in a reinforced regime colony and a large fine. The court found him guilty under following criminal articles: organisation of mass riots, public calls for seizure of power and committing an act of terrorism, leadership of an extremist formation, libel, and insulting the president and others. Pratasevich remained under house arrest until the verdict came into force. Raman Pratasevich was detained in May 2021 after the forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk, on which he was flying from Athens to Vilnius. Shortly after the detention, Pratasevich made a deal with the investigation.