Moscow is grateful to Minsk for the decision to pardon Sofya Sapieha. This was stated by the press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov. Today our film crew managed to speak to Sophia, who was just released yesterday from Gomel settlement. We found her at Domodedovo airport. With dad and suitcase.
The intrigue around the arrival of Sapieha lasted a day: the girl probably returned yesterday from Belarus to Russia, and today our film crew finds her at Domodedovo airport in Moscow. Accompanied by her father, Sophia rushes to the registration desks.
Even the day before, the Russian woman did not even imagine that she could move freely on the streets like this. According to her, she learned everything half an hour before leaving the Gomel settlement, where she was met by the governor of the Primorsky Territory, Oleg Kozhemyako.
“I turned to Alexander Grigoryevich, at the request of my father, for a pardon to be granted and for the President of the Republic of Belarus to sign a decree, today you are a free person, I hope you have drawn conclusions and you will not make mistakes in the future,” Kozhemyako said.
No bureaucratic paperwork, no delays – she took away documents, things … there are dozens of journalists on the street, the girl is a little confused, but she smiles.
“I was given a second chance, not many, but I was really lucky,” said Sofya Sapega.
The Russian woman was arrested at the age of 21. The plane flying from Athens to Vilnius was rushed to Minsk due to reports of explosives on board. Among the passengers is Sapieha. Initially, she was involved in the case of the “August protest events in Belarus” as a suspect. All this time, our diplomats, the embassy, have been actively working on the case. They requested the girl’s extradition. Moreover, during one of the informal talks between Putin and Lukashenko, the Russian President, on his own initiative, raised the topic of Sapieha’s detention.
“We took it positively, of course, we are grateful to our Belarusian friends. Such decisions are, of course, completely and completely in unison with the allied nature of relations,” Dmitry Peskov said.
Another article under which Sapega was charged: deliberate incitement to social enmity and discord, which led to serious consequences. Together with her then lover, former editor of the extremist Telegram channel Roman Protasevich, they were active on social media, stirring up protest moods among Belarusian youth and calling on them for mass rallies against the government current.
“You have to work with young people, explain taking the example of Sapieha, such a beautiful woman ended up behind bars because of stupidity, falling under the influence of Western intelligence services”, commented Vladimir Dzhabarov , member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
By the way, Protasevich, who was also pardoned, forgot all feelings during interrogations and testified against Sapieha. And then he married someone else. The girl, asked about the first, behaved with dignity and wished him only a decent life. Well, Sophia has just started her new life.
Earlier, lawyer Gashinsky said that Sofia Sapieha has no restrictions on flights to other countries. According to the human rights activist, Sophia is now a free person and can do whatever she wants.
Read the Russia Ukraine News on The Eastern Herald.
