The Prosecutor General’s Office of Belarus has granted the request of convicted Russian woman Sofya Sapega to extradite her to Russia to serve her sentence, Minsk sees no obstacle to this. On this subject informed RIA Novosti with reference to the department.
The Attorney General’s Office has notified Russia of its consent, Sapega will be sent home after receiving guarantees for the execution of the sentence against the Russian woman.
On April 1, the Russian consul in Belarus met with Sapieha and received her consent to extradition. On April 14, lawyer Anton Gashinsky, representing the interests of the Sapieha family, said that the Russian court would examine the documents for the extradition of the girl after her arrival from Minsk. The lawyer did not name the possible terms.
Sofya Sapega was arrested in May 2021 together with Roman Protasevich, former editor of the Belarusian opposition telegram channel NEXTA. This happened after an emergency landing at Minsk airport of the plane, which Sapieha and Protasevich flew to Vilnius from Athens. There would have been an explosive device on board, this information was not confirmed later.
Sapega was accused of being the administrator of the Black Book of Belarus telegram channel, recognized as extremist in the republic. He published the personal data of security officials who participated in the dispersal of mass protests in the republic.
In May 2022, the Grodno Regional Court sentenced Sapega to six years in prison. She was found guilty of actions to incite social hatred and discord on the basis of social affiliation, resulting in serious consequences, as well as unlawful collection and dissemination of personal data.
A month after the verdict, Sapieha wrote a petition for clemency addressed to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, but was refused. The presidential administration explained this by the fact that the Russian woman did not serve half of her term.
In mid-March 2023, the State Security Committee (KGB) of Belarus added Sapega to the list of those involved in terrorism. At the beginning of April, lawyer Gashinsky announced the start of the procedure for Sapieha’s extradition to Russia.
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