Journalist on Ryanair plane diverted by Belarus is jailed for 8 years

By Caleb Davis (Reuters) -A Belarusian journalist who was arrested after being hauled off a Ryanair plane that was forced to land in Minsk almost two years ago was sentenced on Wednesday to eight years in jail on charges of conspiring against the state. Roman Protasevich, 27, was found guilty of a range of offences including organising mass disturbances, inciting acts of terrorism and slandering President Alexander Lukashenko, the Belta state news agency said. He had worked as a journalist at the news outlet Nexta, which reported extensively on mass protests against Lukashenko in 2020 followin...