DISINFO: Raman Pratasevich is a Fascist and Neo-Nazi
SUMMARY
Raman Pratasevich is a Maidan-style activist and Fascist. In 2011 he joined “Young Front” - the Nationalistic paramilitary organisation, similar to the neo-Nazi organisations of the Baltic states and Ukraine.
In 2013, he participated in the Ukrainian Maidan. In 2014, he joined the Nazi's Azov battalion which rampaged in Donbas.
Raman Pratasevich went back to Belarus only in 2017. He got a Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellowship which is only given to pro-Western, only in specific media working, journalists. In 2018-2019 he worked for “Euroradio” (financed by Poland and Lithuania) and for propaganda project for Eastern Europe “Radio Svoboda” - a radio station, which is under the control of the CIA.
Of course, in 2020, Pratasevich participated in protests as editor of the channel coordinating protests, NEXTA. In fact, he was one of the organisers (of protests). He is also a supporter of imposter leader of Belarus - Sviatlana Tsikchanouskaya.
RESPONSE
Recurrent disinformation aiming to discredit tBlarusian dissident journalist Raman Pratasevich. Many facts in the narrative are presented in a manipulative way.
The “Young Front” is not a “Nationalistic paramilitary organisation”. It was the biggest non-governmental youth organisation in Belarus. It united young civil activists.
There is no substantial evidence to suggest that Mr. Pratasevich ever participated in the military activity of the Azov paramilitary battalion. Pratasevich himself said in an interview with a Russian journalist in 2020 that he had been in the war zone in Eastern Ukraine as a freelance journalist. He was also in Maidan. He said that he did not throw stones or take part in clashes, but he was hit by the then riot police (the Berkut).
See also further investigation by independent outlet Meduza.
The Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellowship is a joint initiative of Radio Free Europe and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. The goal of the Fellowship is to promote more open societies through journalism. See more information about the Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellowship here.
Radio Svoboda or Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has a mission to “promote democratic values and institutions and advance human rights by reporting the news in countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established”. The source of financing of RFE/RL is United State Agency for Global Media, and the editorial independence of RFE/RL is protected by US law. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is not “under the control of the CIA”.
Telegram channel NEXTA played an important role in providing information and broadcasting huge opposition protests against the Belarusian authoritarian regime in 2020. It explains why the Belarusian authorities wanted to detain Raman Pratasevich. He was arrested in Minsk airport when flying from Athens to Vilnius. On Sunday, May 23, 2021, the Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania was forced to turn back before crossing the Lithuanian border and land in the Belarusian capital. The pretext for landing in Minsk was a false report about a bomb on board. At the moment when the plane changed course, it was closer to Vilnius airport than to Minsk. The plane was forced by a Belarusian military aircraft to land in Minsk. Raman Pratasevich was detained during a repeated security check of passengers.
The EU condemned Belarusian action against civil plane and the detention of Pratasevich. In a declaration on behalf of the EU on the forced diversion of Ryanair flight FR4978 to Minsk on 23 May 2021, the High Representative called for the immediate release of Mr Pratasevich. This was followed by a European Council statement, in which the EU leaders called for targeted individual and economic sanctions as well as to ban overflight of EU airspace by Belarusian airlines and prevent access to EU airports of flights operated by these. - see details of the decision here.
See more disinformation cases on Raman Pratasevich.