Detained journalist Protasevich says cooperating with investigation in video message posted online
MINSK. May 25 (Interfax) - A video message recorded by the former editor-in-chief of the Nexta Telegram channel Roman Protasevich, who was detained in Minsk on Sunday, has been published online.
"I'm now at Detention Facility No. 1 in the city of Minsk. I can say that I don't have any health problems - neither problems related to the heart or any other organs. Officers are treating me as politely as possible and in line with the law," Protasevich said in his message.
"I'm continuing to cooperate with the investigation and I've made a confession as regards the organization of mass riots in the city of Minsk," he said.
A Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius was forced to land at the Minsk airport while passing through Belarus's airspace on May 23. The plane was approaching Lithuania's airspace when it was diverted to the Belarusian capital.
The airline reported that the plane had landed in Minsk, as Belarusian air traffic controllers notified it of a potential bomb threat on board the plane. The bomb alert later turned out to be false.
The passenger plane was carrying Belarusian opposition activist and blogger Roman Protasevich, who was detained after the plane landed in Minsk. So was his female companion Sofia Sapega, a Russian citizen and student of the European Humanities University based in Vilnius.
The Nexta Telegram channel is designated as extremist in Belarus.
