MINSK, April 2. /TASS/: Russian diplomats continue to work on the case of Russian national Sofia Sapega, who has been denied a pardon in Belarus, and hope to meet with her, Alexey Maskalev, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Minsk told TASS on Sunday.
"Russian diplomats are working on Sapega’s case. They maintain close contacts with her attorney and the Belarusian side. We hope to meet with the Russian national again," he said.
Several media outlets reported on Sunday, citing attorney Anton Gashinnsky, that Sapega may soon be taken to Russia to serve the rest of her sentence. Her mother and biological father have reportedly filed a motion with the Russian justice ministry to have their daughter transferred to Russia and the Belarusian side has reportedly gave its consent.
Sofia Sapega was detained on May 23, 2021 at Minsk airport along with Roman Protasevich, the founder of the Nexta Telegram channel, which was recognized as extremist in Belarus. Sapega was found guilty of deliberate actions aimed at inciting social enmity and discord based on social background, which were committed by a group of people and caused grave consequences, as well as of illicitly collecting and disseminating personal information. The Grodno Regional Court sentenced her to six years in prison on May 6, 2022. Later, she filed a plea for a pardon, which was ultimately turned down. It was reported earlier, citing her attorney, that a request to transfer her to Russia so that she could serve out her sentence there would be submitted soon.
