Belarus sentences journalist Raman Pratasevich to eight years in jail

Dissident’s arrest after being pulled off a diverted Ryanair flight in Minsk in 2021 caused international outrage

A court in Belarus has sentenced to eight years in prison a dissident journalist who was arrested after being pulled off a commercial flight that was diverted to the country.

Raman Pratasevich’s dramatic arrest in May 2021 elicited outrage in the west, with some leaders saying the plane’s diversion was tantamount to state-sponsored hijacking.