Roman Protasevich and Stepan Putilo, the creators of the Nexta Belarusian pro-opposition Telegram channel, were recognized liable under criminal charges of organizing mass disorder and coordinating collective action violating public order, the Investigative Committee of Belarus said in a press release on Thursday
MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th November, 2020) Roman Protasevich and Stepan Putilo, the creators of the Nexta Belarusian pro-opposition Telegram channel, were recognized liable under criminal charges of organizing mass disorder and coordinating collective action violating public order, the Investigative Committee of Belarus said in a press release on Thursday.
"The Minsk office of the Investigative Committee issued ordinance on the prosecution of Stepan Putilo and Roman Protasevich as accused under the following articles of the Criminal Code � 'organization of mass riots' and 'organization of collective actions that grossly violate public order,'" the authority said on its Telegram channel.
Criminal cases were launched into Putilo and Protasevich over "committing deliberate actions aimed at inciting social enmity on the grounds of professional affiliation," according to the communication.
The Belarusian Investigative Committee said it had reviewed the materials published by Nexta and found multiple instances of calls for protests, obstruction of roads, and strikes, as well as coordination of unauthorized mass events and routes of rallies. The Belarusian State Forensic Examination Committee has confirmed the findings by conducting a "psycho-linguistic expertise," according to the Investigative Committee.
"We continue the investigative action to identify other persons involved in organizing mass riots in the capital [Minsk]. Additionally, investigators are working to restrict internet access to resources containing extremist materials," the press release read.
In late October, a court in Minsk designated Telegram channel Nexta-Live and its NEXTA logo extremist. The Polish-based channel had become the main Belarusian opposition news outlet over the course of the mass opposition movement, racking up nearly 2 million followers to become the most-followed Russian-language channel on the platform.
Mass protests began in Belarus after the presidential election on August 9, which, according to the official results, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won in a landslide, securing himself a sixth consecutive term in office. The opposition refused to recognize the results, claiming electoral fraud. Lukashenko's supporters have also organized rallies in his support.
