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Crisis in Belarus

Belarusian court hands Russian national Sofia Sapega six-year prison sentence

She was found guilty on charges of ‘deliberate acts aimed at inciting social enmity and discord on the basis of social affiliation committed by a group of persons, which had grave consequences’

MINSK, May 6. /TASS/. The Grodnensky District Court in Belarus has handed down a verdict against Russian national Sofia Sapega sentencing her to six years behind bars, the court announced on Friday.

"The court finds Sapega guilty on charges of ‘deliberate acts aimed at inciting social enmity and discord on the basis of social affiliation committed by a group of persons, which had grave consequences,’" the court’s verdict said adding that "she was sentenced to six years in prison."

The court also stated that Sapega was found guilty of illegally collecting and distributing personal data. She was sentenced to a month-long incarceration for this crime and she also had to pay damages amounting to 167,500 Belarusian rubles (or roughly $65,000).

This verdict can be appealed with the Minsk Municipal Court within a period of ten days.

Sapega was detained at Minsk Airport on May 23 along with Roman Protasevich, one of the co-founders of the Nexta Telegram channel, which was recognized as an extremist site in Belarus, after a Ryanair flight made an emergency landing. Sapega and Protasevich were placed under house arrest in late June.

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