A Belarusian dissident who was taken off a Ryanair jet forced to land in Minsk, Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega has been transferred to house arrest, BBC reports.
Roman Protasevich was taken into custody on suspicion of inciting unrest after his dramatic capture on 23 May.His girlfriend, Russian citizen Sofia Sapega, was arrested with him and has also been moved to house arrest, her parents told BBC Russian Service.
Both had been held on remand since their arrest, but on Thursday they were seen in a park in Minsk with a camera crew in what opposition activists said was a propaganda shoot for the Belarusian authorities.
Ms Sapega is now living alone in a rented flat in Minsk, her parents told the BBC after meeting her in a restaurant on Thursday. Her parents said the move had come as a surprise. "We're in shock," her stepfather Sergei Dudich commented.
"Of course we're pleased that she is not in a remand prison, the conditions are quite different," he said, describing Ms Sapega's mood as positive.
Mr Protasevich's father, who lives with his wife in Poland, said he had not been contacted by the Belarusian authorities and did not plan to return to Belarus.
"They tell us nothing about how Roma [Roman] is or about his status, it's just outrageous," he said. "If the form of detention has changed it's an improvement in their living conditions," he added. "Otherwise we don't know what's coming next."
Mr Dudich said the family hoped the charges against the young woman had been withdrawn but Dmitry Protasevich said the charges still stood against both his son and Ms Sapega. He added that he had found it difficult to comment on the actions of the authorities with regard to his son. "Maybe he's been drawn into some political game?" he suggested.
Ukraine ase well as the U.S. and the EU responded to the plane incident with sanctions on Belarus.