Ex-chief editor of Nexta Telegram channel Protasevich sentenced to 8 years in prison in Belarus

This is reported by the Current Time newspaper.

The trial against him and two of his associates began on February 16. The founder of the Nexta channel, Stepan Putil, and the former editor, Yan Rudyk, were sentenced to 19 and 20 years in prison respectively, but since they are abroad, the sentence was imposed in absentia.

In his final statement, Protasevich said he pleaded guilty and wanted to do "everything possible to compensate for the damage" his actions had caused, the newspaper noted. He asked the court to consider his situation with understanding and to make a fair decision on a punishment that would not involve imprisonment.

Protasevich and his girlfriend, Sofia Sapieha, were detained in May 2021 as a result of a forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk.

• Earlier, in an "interview" with a Belarusian state channel, Protasevich "pleaded guilty" to calling for protests in Belarus.

• Protasevich's father stated that his son's "interview" to Belarusian state television was the result of torture and ill-treatment committed against him by the KGB.