Ryanair jet grounding activists Protasevich & Sapega have been released from Belarusian prison cells to house arrest, families say

Roman Protasevich, the former editor-in-chief of a banned opposition Telegram channel, and his Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, have reportedly been released from custody by officials in Belarus and placed under house arrest.

Relatives of the pair, who were detained when their Ryanair flight was grounded in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, told the BBC on Friday that they had been let out of prison. Authorities had originally intended to charge the pair with a range of offenses relating to their political activism and the organization of unauthorized opposition protests.

According to her parents, Sapega moved alone to a rented apartment in the city two or three days ago. Her stepfather, Sergei Dudich, said he was in “shock” at the development and had already been able to meet with her at a restaurant. “Of course, we are glad that she is not in jail,” her grandfather added. “These are completely different living conditions.”

As a Russian citizen, Sapega has been receiving legal and consular support from Moscow's embassy in the country, which confirmed her conditional release on Friday to local media. Photographs purporting to show the pair strolling around Minsk together have since been circulated online.

Protasevich's father, Dmitry, confirmed to journalists that his son had also been placed under house arrest. He urged caution, however, saying: “It is difficult to comment on the actions of the authorities, and what their goals are... maybe there is a political game going on.”

Earlier this month, Belarusian opposition figures expressed outrage over a filmed interview with Protasevich, broadcast on state television. A number of online commentators pointed to what appeared to be wounds on the activist's arms, alleging he had been tortured. During the broadcast, Protasevich supposedly confessed to a number of charges.

Western leaders have imposed sanctions against Belarus and its national airline after a Ryanair flight was told to land in Minsk while passing through the country's airspace from Greece to Lithuania. Citing a purported bomb scare, authorities sent a fighter jet to escort the plane. Once on the ground, Protasevich and Sapega were arrested. A number of Western analysts and online commentators had claimed that Protasevich may be given the death penalty or die in prison.

The country has been rocked by mass protests since veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko declared victory in last summer's presidential election. The opposition, and many international observers, say the results were rigged, and tens of thousands have taken to the streets to call for a fresh poll.

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