Belarusian Blogger Arrested on Ryanair Flight Pardoned: State Media

Opposition blogger and activist Roman Protasevich, who is accused of participating in an unsanctioned protest at the Kuropaty preserve, arrives for a court hearing in Minsk, Belarus, on April 10, 2017. Stringer/Reuters

MOSCOW—Roman Protasevich, the Belarusian opposition blogger arrested in 2021 after his Ryanair overflight was forced to land in Minsk, was pardoned on Monday, the Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported.

“I have literally just signed all the relevant documents stating that I have been pardoned,” BelTA quoted Protasevich as telling reporters. “This is, of course, great news.”