Belarusian journalist, dissident Roman Protašević and his girlfriend, who were arrested last month after the plane they were in made an emergency landing at Minsk airport, have been transferred from a detention facility to house arrest.
The arrest of Protašević caused outrage in the international community, and the European Union introduced additional economic sanctions against Belarus.
The journalist and his girlfriend Sofija Sapega have been in custody since their arrest on May 23.
Opposition leader Svetlana Tihanovska said today that the transfer of Protašević and Sapega to house arrest is "good news", but she emphasized that it is not the end.
"House arrest is not freedom, they still face charges, their every move is still being monitored. It means they are still hostages," said Tihanovska, who fled Belarus to Lithuania last year under pressure from the authorities.
She added that she and her team are in contact with the parents of Protasevich, who "do not have any information about their son, are not allowed to talk to him and are convinced that the regime is playing a game."
Sapega's lawyer Anton Gašinski confirmed to the Associated Press that his client was recently transferred to house arrest, without specifying when. She lives in a rented apartment in Minsk, and yesterday she met her parents in a restaurant.
Gašinski said that she was not alone in the restaurant, but he did not want to answer whether she was with Protašević.
Protasevic's lawyer refused to comment on his whereabouts or the status of her client, citing a non-disclosure agreement.
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