Dissident Belarusian journalist appears to praise President Lukashenko in new video

<p>Dissident journalist Roman Protasevich has been filmed appearing to praise Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in a new video.</p> <p>In the clip, recorded for Belarusian state-controlled TV, Mr Protasevich was asked whether he respected the president, to which he replied: “Absolutely.”</p> <p><a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/roman-protasevich-9438" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mr Protasevich</strong></a>, 26, said <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/alexander-lukashenko-8861" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mr Lukashenko</strong></a> has “acted like a man with balls of steel”, despite the “pressure” of resistance movements like his.</p> <p>The journalist, who was arrested last month after the <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/roman-protasevich-ryanair-plane-diverted-to-belarus-so-opposition-blogger-could-be-arrested-12314838" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ryanair flight he was on was diverted</strong></a>, did not appear to be in good health in the clip.</p> <p>It comes after an earlier video for the state-controlled broadcaster saw him <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/roman-protasevich-dissident-belarusian-journalist-claims-he-was-set-up-by-associate-after-plane-arrest-12323905" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>claim he was set up</strong></a> by an unidentified associate.</p> <div class="sdc-site-layout-sticky-region " data-interscroller="true" data-format="floated-mpu" data-role="sticky-region" data-component-name="sdc-site-layout"> <div class="sdc-site-layout-sticky-region__target"> <div class="sdc-site-layout-sticky-region__mask"> <div class="sdc-site-layout-sticky-region__content"> <div class="sdc-site-au-wrapper "> <div class="sdc-site-au site-component-vertical-margin" data-ad-format="mpu-1" data-type="" aria-hidden="true"> <p> <span class="sdc-site-au__label-text" data-label-text="Advertisement">Advertisement</span> </p> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> <p>Commenting on that clip, one of Mr Protasevich’s associates said he was clearly speaking under duress.</p> <p>It is not clear when the more recent interview was filmed and under what conditions.</p> <div class="sdc-article-widget sdc-article-related-stories" data-component-name="sdc-article-related-stories"> <div class="sdc-article-related-stories__content"> <h3 class="sdc-article-related-stories__title">More on Alexander Lukashenko</h3> </p></div> </div> <p>In it, he said: “I won’t hide it, I criticised Alexander Grigoryevich [Lukashenko] a lot. Of course, because it seemed to be that there were reasons for it.</p> <div class="sdc-article-widget sdc-article-image"> <figure class="sdc-article-image__figure"> <div class="sdc-article-image__wrapper" data-aspect-ratio="16/9"> <img class="sdc-article-image__item" loading="lazy" intrinsicsize="768x432" src="https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/768x432/skynews-roman-protasevich-belarus_5394249.jpg?20210524221349" srcset="https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/384x216/skynews-roman-protasevich-belarus_5394249.jpg?20210524221349 380w, https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/768x432/skynews-roman-protasevich-belarus_5394249.jpg?20210524221349 760w, https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/1600x900/skynews-roman-protasevich-belarus_5394249.jpg?20210524221349 1024w, https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/2048x1152/skynews-roman-protasevich-belarus_5394249.jpg?20210524221349 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw" alt="Roman Protasevich"> </div><figcaption class="sdc-article-image__caption"> <span class="sdc-article-image__visually-hidden">Image:</span><br /> <span class="sdc-article-image__caption-text">A map shows how the journalist’s Ryanair flight was diverted to the Belarusian capital</span><br /> </figcaption></figure> </div> <p>“I’ve been a journalist my whole life, but the more I was getting involved in political work, the more I wanted to run away from it.</p> <p>“And then I started to realise that many things Alexander Grigoryevich is criticised for are just attempts to pressure him.</p> <p>“And that in many moments he acted like a man with balls of steel, despite all the pressure and so on.”</p> <div class="sdc-site-video sdc-article-widget callfn" data-fn="sdc-site-video" data-component-name="sdc-site-video" data-lite="true" data-id="id_f5437142-6f7b-4437-9270-e4b1f19b30dd" data-video-id="ref:f5437142-6f7b-4437-9270-e4b1f19b30dd" data-account-id="6058004172001" data-provider="brightcove" data-originator-id="51" data-clip-type="" data-sdc-video-id="f5437142-6f7b-4437-9270-e4b1f19b30dd" data-sensitive="false" data-player-id="RC9PQUaJ6" data-video-blacklisted-originator-ids="" data-package="" data-asset-path="" data-asset-version="" data-competition="" data-sport-category="" data-amp-iframe-embed="" data-autoplay="" data-options="" data-video-ad-unit="" data-is-live-stream="false" data-state="loading" data-copy-url-text="URL copied to clipboard" tabindex="-1" readability="7"> <p class="sdc-site-video__accessibility-message" data-role="accessibility-message">Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player</p> <div class="sdc-site-video__inner"> <div class="sdc-site-video__content"> <span aria-hidden="true" data-role="poster" class="sdc-site-video__poster"><br /> <img src="https://e3.365dm.com/21/06/768x432/skynews-roman-protasevich-belarus_5404280.jpg?20210603165736%20600w" alt="" srcset="" aria-hidden="true" class="sdc-site-video__poster-img"><br /> <span class="sdc-site-video__loader"></span></p> <p> </span><br /> <video id="id_f5437142-6f7b-4437-9270-e4b1f19b30dd" data-embed="default" data-application-id="" class="video-js sdc-site-video__tag" controls="" playsinline=""></video> </div><figcaption class="sdc-site-video__caption"> <p> <span class="sdc-site-video__caption-text" data-role="caption-text">In a separate video Mr Protasevich claimed he was set up by an unidentified associate</span><br /> </figcaption></div> </p></div> <p>Mr Protasevich, who worked for Poland-based online news service NEXTA, was detained by authorities in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on 23 May.</p> <p>There was international outrage when his Ryanair flight – from Athens to Vilnius, Lithuania – was diverted to <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/belarus-8716" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Belarus</strong></a> by air traffic controllers over claims of a bomb threat. There have been accusations it was a “state-sponsored hijacking” on the orders of Mr Lukashenko.</p> <p>No bomb was found on board, but Mr Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega were arrested.</p> <div class="sdc-article-widget sdc-article-image"> <figure class="sdc-article-image__figure"> <div class="sdc-article-image__wrapper" data-aspect-ratio="16/9"> <img class="sdc-article-image__item" loading="lazy" intrinsicsize="768x432" src="https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/768x432/skynews-belarus-lukashenko_5395734.jpg?20210526130737" srcset="https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/384x216/skynews-belarus-lukashenko_5395734.jpg?20210526130737 380w, https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/768x432/skynews-belarus-lukashenko_5395734.jpg?20210526130737 760w, https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/1600x900/skynews-belarus-lukashenko_5395734.jpg?20210526130737 1024w, https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/2048x1152/skynews-belarus-lukashenko_5395734.jpg?20210526130737 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw" alt="Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko accused the West of waging a hybrid war against the country. Pic: AP "> </div><figcaption class="sdc-article-image__caption"> <span class="sdc-article-image__visually-hidden">Image:</span><br /> <span class="sdc-article-image__caption-text">Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is often referred to as ‘Europe’s last dictator’. Pic: AP</span><br /> </figcaption></figure> </div> <p>Ms Sapega has since appeared in a video from prison where she confesses to running a channel that revealed personal data about Belarusian security officers.</p> <p>Her boyfriend left Belarus in 2019 and has since become Mr Lukashenko’s leading opponent.</p> <p>As well as his work for the Polish news service, Mr Protasevich ran a popular channel on the messaging app Telegram that played a key role in organising anti-government protests last year.</p> <div class="sdc-article-widget sdc-article-image"> <figure class="sdc-article-image__figure"> <div class="sdc-article-image__wrapper" data-aspect-ratio="16/9"> <img class="sdc-article-image__item" loading="lazy" intrinsicsize="768x432" src="https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/768x432/skynews-roman-protasevich-minsk_5392187.jpg?20210523161501" srcset="https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/384x216/skynews-roman-protasevich-minsk_5392187.jpg?20210523161501 380w, https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/768x432/skynews-roman-protasevich-minsk_5392187.jpg?20210523161501 760w, https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/1600x900/skynews-roman-protasevich-minsk_5392187.jpg?20210523161501 1024w, https://e3.365dm.com/21/05/2048x1152/skynews-roman-protasevich-minsk_5392187.jpg?20210523161501 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw" alt="Roman Protasevich being detained by police in Belarus in 2017 during a protest"> </div><figcaption class="sdc-article-image__caption"> <span class="sdc-article-image__visually-hidden">Image:</span><br /> <span class="sdc-article-image__caption-text">Roman Protasevich being detained by police in 2017 during a protest in Belarus</span><br /> </figcaption></figure> </div> <p>He was then charged with inciting mass disturbances, which could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years.</p> <p>Mr Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet nation for more than 25 years, is often referred to as Europe’s last dictator.</p> <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://patabook.com/news/2021/06/03/dissident-belarusian-journalist-appears-to-praise-president-lukashenko-in-new-video/">Dissident Belarusian journalist appears to praise President Lukashenko in new video</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://patabook.com/news">Patabook News </a>.</p>

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