Belarusian court sentences oppositionist Protasevichʼs girlfriend Sofia Sapega to 6 years in prison

A Grodno court in Belarus has sentenced Russian Sofia Sapega, the girlfriend of Roman Protasevich, the former head of the NEXTA opposition Telegram channel, to six years in prison.

This was reported by the Russian service of the BBC.

The girl was accused of administering the Telegram-channel "Black Book of Belarus", which published personal data of civil servants.

Sofia Sapegaʼs case has been heard behind closed doors since March 28. According to the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutorʼs Office of Belarus, Sapieha was convicted under seven articles of the Criminal Code. The most severe is the incitement of social hatred, which involves up to 12 years in prison.

In addition, she was accused of organizing crimes against judges, law enforcement officers, and journalists, collecting and disseminating personal data (including prosecutors and civil servants) with causing significant harm. There were 238 victims at the time of the trial.

• Sofia Sapega is a 23-year-old Russian citizen. As a child, she and her mother moved to Belarus, where she graduated. She later entered the European Humanities University in Vilnius. In May 2021, she was on vacation with Protasevich, who also moved to Lithuania, Greece. The plane on which they flew back to Vilnius on May 23 was forcibly landed in Minsk, and both were detained. On June 25, Protasevych and Sapega were placed under house arrest.
• On May 25, Belarusʼs pro-government Telegram channel released a video of Sapega claiming to be the editor of the Black Book of Belarusʼs Telegram channel, which publishes personal information about law enforcement officials.
• In December 2021, Sofia Sapega wrote a request for pardon to the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexandr Lukashenko.