‘Belarusian journalists are unsafe and constantly under attack’

A legal expert with the Belarusian Association of Journalists discusses her fears for Roman Protasevich, the reporter detained after a forced plane diversion to Minsk.

On Sunday, Belarusian authorities detained journalist Roman Protasevich and his partner Sofia Sapega after President Alexander Lukashenko ordered the plane they had been travelling on to divert to Minsk. Until November last year, Protasevich managed the Telegram channel, Nexta, which played a crucial role in organising opposition protests following a disputed election last August that handed Lukashenko victory. With two million followers, the channel became a popular communications tool for getting past authorities.