Belarusian journalist Pratasevich moved to KGB detention facility, says rights group - RFE/RL

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The Belarusian rights group Vyasna says detained journalist and opposition activist Raman Pratasevich has been moved to a pretrial detention facility run by the country’s main security agency, the KGB, as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

In a report on its Telegram channel on May 30, Vyasna also said that Pratasevich had received a package from his sister but that an unspecified book had been taken from it.

Vyasna did not reveal the name or location of the facility. Previously, Pratasevich had been held at pretrial detention center No. 1 in the capital, Minsk.

Pratasevich, 26, is facing charges of being behind civil disturbances, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

He was a key administrator of the Telegram channel, Nexta-Live, which has been covering the mass protests that broke out in Belarus following the disputed presidential election last August.

Security forces have arrested more than 30,000 people, including dozens of journalists who covered the rallies.

Belarus dispatched a fighter jet to intercept a Ryanair commercial flight on May 23 and forced it to land in Minsk, where Pratasevich and his girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, a Russian national, were taken off the aircraft and detained.

The plane was flying over Belarus from Athens to the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.

The move sparked international outrage and demands for Pratasevich's release. The European Union has since banned flights from Belarus.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty