On June 3, Belarusian state TV aired a forced interview with detained opposition journalist Roman Protasevich, who has been in custody in Belarus since May 23. In the video, the former editor-in-chief of the Telegram-based opposition outlet Nexta said that he had pleaded guilty to organizing mass unrest in Belarus after the contested presidential election in 2020. He then went on to praise dictator Alexander Lukashenko (Alyaksandr Lukashenka) and direct criticism at members of the Belarusian opposition. Protasevich\u2019s parents said that in the video, the detained journalist said things he \u201cwould never say in his life,\u201d leading them to believe that the interview was conducted under duress. Protasevich also had visible marks on his wrists, fueling allegations that he was tortured in custody.<\/p>\n
On the evening of June 3, the state-owned Belarusian television channel ONT <\/strong>aired<\/strong> an \u201cinterview\u201d with detained opposition journalist Roman Protasevich. <\/strong>It was shown on the program \u201cMarkov: Nothing Personal,\u201d which is hosted by the head of ONT, Marat Markov. During the program, Protasevich \u2014 who has been in custody in Belarus since May 23 \u2014 made a number of contradictory statements, leading many, including his parents, to believe the interview was conducted under duress. The former chief editor of the prominent opposition Telegram channel Nexta, Protasevich is facing serious charges in Belarus, including organizing mass unrest and inciting social enmity (the former is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, while the latter is punishable by 12 years).\u00a0<\/p>\n On air, Protasevich said that he had <\/strong>pleaded guilty<\/strong> to organizing unauthorized mass protests in Belarus<\/strong> after the contested presidential election in 2020. The detained journalist said that he published calls to take to the streets on election day (August 9) and that he had pleaded \u201cfully guilty\u201d to charges under Belarusian Criminal Code article 342 \u2014 organizing and preparing actions that violate public order. <\/p>\n Protasevich also claimed that Nexta was sponsored by an unnamed company allegedly belonging to a Russian oligarch. <\/strong>Protasevich, who was formerly Nexta\u2019s editor-in-chief, alleged that the opposition Telegram channel was funded through advertising, donations from readers, and \u2014 as Nexta co-founder Stepan Putilo (Stsiapan Putsila) supposedly told him \u2014 several thousand euros from an unnamed Russian firm \u201cconnected to the Urals and mining\u201d and owned by a well-known Russian oligarch. Protasevich also claimed that after the opposition protests in Belarus tapered off, the Telegram channel Nexta Live was allegedly supposed to take up a \u201cRussian agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to praising dictator Alexander Lukashenko, Protasevich criticizing the Belarusian opposition. <\/strong>In particular, the detained journalist directed criticism at members of the opposition\u2019s coordination council and those working with Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya). He also alleged that a member of Tikhanovskaya\u2019s circle, Daniil Bogdanovich, was behind the forced landing of the Ryanair flight in Minsk. Protasevich claimed he had conflict with Bogdanovich beforehand, echoing previous statements from questioning footage that ONT aired on June 2, as part of a \u201cdocumentary investigation\u201d about the Ryanair diversion.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the end of the interview, traces of injuries could be seen on Roman Protasevich\u2019s wrists. <\/strong>Screenshots of the ONT recording, such as the one below shared by the independent Belarusian newspaper Nasha Niva, show Protasevich crying and covering his face with his hands \u2014 revealing bruises and abrasions on his wrists. The detained journalist\u2019s parents, Dmitry and Natalya Protasevich, also pointed out these injuries after ONT aired footage of Roman Protasevich being questioned on June 2. Protasevich\u2019s parents told Current Time TV that they noticed bruises and marks from handcuffs on their son\u2019s arms. Natalya Protasevich also drew attention to the fact that in the questioning video, Roman Protasevich\u2019s face appeared \u201cblurred\u201d and \u201cdarkened,\u201d saying this was likely an attempt to hide bruises on his face and strangulation marks on his neck.\u00a0<\/p>\n Roman Protasevich\u2019s father maintained that his son gave the \u201cinterview\u201d after being tortured. <\/strong>Dmitry Protasevich told Current Time TV that watching the footage, he could see in his son\u2019s face that Roman was experiencing an \u201cinternal struggle between what he\u2019s supposed to say and what he would never say in his life.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m sure this is the consequences of his more than a week-long stay in the dungeons of the KGB pre-trial detention center, of abuse and torture. At first they tried to strangle him and beat him, now traces of handcuffs are visible,\u201d Protasevich senior said, adding that Roman was likely \u201cforce-fed some kind of psychotropic [drugs].\u201d In turn, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya\u2019s advisor Franak Via\u010dorka described Protasevich\u2019s statements as the \u201cconfession of a person at gunpoint.\u201d Tikhanovskaya\u2019s press secretary Anna Krasulina said, \u201cthis isn\u2019t an interview, this is torture.\u201d<\/p>\n