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Crisis in Belarus

Attorney of Russian national detained in Minsk unable to meet with client so far

Russian citizen Sofia Sapega was also detained in Minsk after the Ryanair emergency landing. So far, Sofia's attorney has not managed to meet with her

MINSK, May 25. /TASS/. The attorney of Sofia Sapega, a Russian national detained at Minsk International Airport, has been unable to meet with her so far, Sapega’s father Sergei Dudich told TASS on Tuesday.

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"On Monday, we signed a contract with the attorney. As of yesterday evening, [the lawyer] was unable to meet with her," Dudich said.

According to him, Sofia is being held at a detention center in Minsk. "The government has provided no comment so far. We only know that she has not been charged," the father stated. "We addressed the Embassy of the Russian Federation, and we met with the consul. He promised to support us in every way possible, and the embassy requested access to the detained woman," Dudich said.

Russian national Sofia Sapega was taken into custody at Minsk Airport alongside Roman Protasevich, one of the co-founders of the Nexta Telegram channel, which was recognized as extremist in Belarus, after the forced landing of a Ryanair plane en route from Athens to Vilnius. The airliner was forced to make an emergency landing at Minsk International Airport on May 23 after a reported bomb threat. The plane landed and following an inspection, the threat turned out to be a false alarm.

Belarus later confirmed that Protasevich was among the passengers. On Monday, Belarusian state TV showed Protasevich’s video message, in which he said that he is at a detention facility in Minsk and that he is providing statements for his confession.

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