The Investigative Committee of Belarus has sent documents to Poland to extradite the creator of the Nexta and Nexta Life Telegram channels Stepan Putilo and former editor-in-chief Roman Protasevich. This is stated on February 7 in the official Telegram channel of the department.
The extradition request was sent through the Attorney General of Belarus. An international treaty on assistance in criminal matters has been concluded with Poland. The document also regulates issues of extradition, the UK recalled.
“I would like to convey the following idea: when deciding to escape, the criminal always believes that this way he can avoid punishment. However, our practice shows that punishment cannot be avoided, wherever the offenders are hiding and wherever they run, “said Mikhail Vavulo, head of the international legal department of the IC.
In December 2020, the KGB of Belarus included Putilo and Protasevich in the list of organizations and individuals involved in terrorist activities. On November 16, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry addressed Poland with a demand to extradite both citizens as soon as possible.
On October 20, the court of the Tsentralny district of Minsk recognized the Nexta Live Telegram channel and the Nexta logo as extremist. The Nexta Telegram channel publishes photographs, videos and information about protest actions in Belarus.