MOSCOW—Belarusian dissident journalist Roman Protasevich appeared to resurface on Twitter on Wednesday, less than two weeks after being moved to house arrest, and denied suggestions that he had been tortured by the authorities. Protasevich, a critic of veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko and his crackdown on the opposition, was arrested along with his girlfriend in Minsk on May 23 after authorities intercepted their Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius and forced it to land in the Belarusian capital, causing international outrage. The 26-year-old, who stands accused of organizing riots, could face up to 15 years in jail if convicted. Protasevich, who has made several appearances on Belarusian state television since his arrest, said he was answering followers’ messages himself and without supervision. Reuters was unable to verify whether the account belonged to Protasevich or whether he was drafting his comments unassisted. Asked by one Twitter user how he managed to remain …
Belarusian Dissident Arrested in Plane Grounding Appears to Resurface Online
July 7, 2021
admin
0 Comment