MINSK, May 18. Verdict in the organizers' case Telegram channel NEXTA, recognized in Belarus as a terrorist organization, Stepan Putilo, Roman Protasevich and Yan Rudik came into force, Sputnik-Belarus reports with reference to the Minsk Regional Court.
«The verdict in the case of Roman Protasevich, Stepan Putilo and Yan Rudik has not been appealed, has not been protested and has entered into legal force,» the agency reports. On May 3, the Minsk Regional Court sentenced Protasevich to imprisonment for a term of 8 years, in absentia Putilo — for 20 years, in absentia Rudik — for 19 years.
In February, the Minsk Regional Court began considering a criminal case against the founder of the telegram channel NEXTA Stepan Putilo, ex-editor-in-chief Roman Protasevich and ex-editor Yan Rudik. Putilo and Rudik are abroad, they were taken into custody in absentia. Protasevich was detained in May 2021 after landing in Minsk due to a false report that a Ryanair aircraft flying to Vilnius, on board of which he was, was undermined. The Prosecutor General's Office previously noted that Protasevich fulfilled the terms of the pre-trial agreement on cooperation he had concluded in full.
The court found guilty those accused of organizing riots, gross violation of order, inciting hatred, public calls to harm national security, leading an extremist group, slandering and insulting the president. Putilo and Rudika are also in a conspiracy to seize power, finance extremist activities, discredit Belarus, and Putilo is also in the leadership of a terrorist organization.
In April 2022, the Supreme Court of Belarus recognized the group of telegram channels NEXTA as a terrorist organization. Supporters of the Belarusian opposition during the period of mass protests after the presidential elections in 2020 coordinated their actions through telegram channels, the NEXTA channel became one of the most popular.