Ryanair Flight 4978
On 23 May 2021, Ryanair Flight 4978 (Athens–Vilnius), with Protasevich on board, received a false bomb threat[29] and was diverted by Belarusian air traffic control to Minsk National Airport.[30][31] While in Athens, Protasevich sent messages through Telegram saying he had seen a bald man at the airport following him and taking photographs of him.[32] Minsk airport staff said they landed the plane due to a report of a bomb aboard. Lithuanian airport authorities stated that they had not been informed of a bomb threat.[29] The plane changed course just before it would have entered Lithuanian airspace.[32] According to a witness cited by Reuters, upon hearing of the diversion to Minsk, Protasevich immediately gave some of his luggage to his girlfriend, Sapega.[33] In Minsk, Protasevich and Sapega were arrested at passport control. No bomb was found aboard the plane.[30][31][34] Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko's press service announced that he personally ordered the plane redirected to Minsk and sent a Belarusian Air Force Mig-29 fighter aircraft to escort it.[30][35][36] However, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) fact-finding task force subsequently determined the MiG-29 was just tasked with communications backup and did not contact, approach, or escort the flight.[37]
Shortly after landing in Minsk, Protasevich was taken away by Belarusian police.[21] A fellow passenger was reported to have heard Protasevich speak of the possibility of facing the death penalty, which exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya warned about the same day. The mass unrest charges against Protasevich could carry a prison sentence of up to fifteen years.[38][39][40] Protasevich had traveled to Athens to cover a visit by Tsikhanouskaya to the Delphi Economic Forum.[38]
On 19 July 2022, ICAO stated that the grounding of the flight was illegal and blamed senior Belarusian officials, also condemning Protasevich's arrest and calling the bomb threat "deliberately false".[41]
Detention and forced confessions
The day after the forced Ryanair landing, Belarusian authorities issued a video in which Protasevich claimed he had been treated well and not been harmed, though he looked visibly stressed.[42] There were dark markings on his forehead, and he stated that he would confess to organizing "mass unrest" and that he did not have health problems, after unconfirmed reports of a heart condition.[43] Protasevich's father said the video appeared forced and his nose seemed to have been broken,[44] while allies of Protasevich, including exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, said the video "is how Roman looks under physical and moral pressure".[45] The Viasna Human Rights Centre and other Belarusian human rights organizations named Protasevich a political prisoner in a joint statement and demanded his immediate release.[46] Amnesty International called for the release of Protasevich and Sapega, saying "their arrest is arbitrary and unlawful, and its circumstances are nothing short of horrifying".
Trial and subsequent pardon
Protasevich pleaded guilty to the initial charges against him, and his trial opened on 16 February 2023.[63] He was not put into a cage during the first hearing, as is usual with defendants facing a trial, and he said that he was "prepared to face any outcome".[64] When asked about the other activists who had left, Protasevich said that had he not been removed from the Ryanair flight, he would have never returned to Belarus, adding that "no one [of the exiled activists] in their right mind will come back".[63]
On 13 April 2023, prosecutors charged Protasevich with further criminal accusations, including charges of "inciting social hatred", organizing mass riots, and organizing and running extremist groups that called for the overthrow of the Lukashenko government.[65] Protasevich pleaded not guilty and denied the accusations.[66]
On 21 April, the trial heard closing arguments from the prosecution.
Release
After his release, reports leaked that Protasevich testified against his former girlfriend Sapega in order to receive either a reduced sentence or a presidential pardon. According to news media, Protasevich's testimony against Sapega was handed to the Vladivostok authorities handling her prison transfer case.[74][75]
In May 2023, Protasevich's mother returned from Poland to Belarus. In an interview with the state-owned Belarusian Telegraph Agency, Protasevich declared that he would definitely not plan to connect his life with politics.[76]
On 13 June 2023, Lukashenko spoke out on why he decided to pardon Protasevich. He told news outlets that he had pardoned Protasevich because "this guy did everything he promised to save his life or to not go to jail... he confessed that he had done wrong".[77]
However, other opposition figures have come to view Protasevich as a traitor. Andrei Sannikov told The New York Times, "Please don't praise him as a freedom fighter. He is a very dark figure in this whole story. We don't want to hear his name ever again.... He betrayed the whole democratic movement."
