Lukashenko denies Russian national Sofia Sapega’s request for clemency

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has denied Russian national Sofia Sapega’s request for a pardon, the independent outlet Mediazona Belarus reported on Tuesday, citing Sapega’s lawyer.

Sapega was sentenced to six years in prison by a Belarusian court in May 2022 on charges of illegally gathering personal data and “inciting social hostility” for her work as an editor for the Telegram channel Black Book of Belarus, which published Belarusian security officials’ personal data.

In June, Sapega wrote to Lukashenko and requested a pardon, saying her crimes were a result of “youth and stupidity” and that she was under the influence of a “group of people with destructive tendencies.”