Roman Protasevich
Roman Protasevich | |
|---|---|
Роман Протасевич Раман Пратасевіч | |
Protasevich at a government press conference in June 2021 | |
| Born | 5 May 1995 Minsk, Belarus |
| Education | Belarusian State University (expelled) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2011–present |
| Organization | Nexta |
| Movement | Young Front |
Roman Dmitriyevich Protasevich or Raman Dzmitryevich Pratasevich (born 5 May 1995) is a Belarusian blogger and political activist. He was the editor-in-chief of the Telegram channel Nexta and chief editor of the Telegram channel Belarus of the Brain (Russian: Беларусь головного мозга).
Protasevich and Sofia Sapega were arrested by Belarusian authorities after their flight, Ryanair Flight 4978, was diverted to Minsk on the orders of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko on 23 May 2021, because of a false bomb threat passed on by Belarusian air traffic control. On 3 May 2023, he was sentenced to eight years in prison. However, on 22 May, it was announced that Protasevich had been pardoned.