‘BARGAINING CHIP’

Hijacked Belarusian Journalist Roman Protasevich Transferred to House Arrest

Roman Protasevich, the Belarusian journalist seized from a Ryanair plane illegally diverted to Minsk, has been moved to house arrest—with his KGB minders.

The Belarusian dissident-journalist seized from a hijacked Ryanair plane has been transferred to house arrest in Minsk, his father said. Roman Protasevich, 26, had been held on remand since his flight was illegally diverted to the Belarusian capital on May 23 but his father, Dmitry, told BBC News that Roman had now been moved to house arrest. His Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega, who was seized with him, has been moved to a separate apartment. Since their arrest, the pair have been paraded on Belarusian TV, which has broadcast confessions of guilt apparently made under duress. Opposition activist Franak Viačorka said that Protasevich was simply being held “in a prison of a different type” with KGB guards living in the same room as him. Viačorka added that the journalist’s parents feared he was being held “for bargaining with the West.”