Russian woman Sofya Sapega, who is serving a six-year term in a Belarusian colony for administering the Black Book of Belarus Telegram channel, turned to Alexander Lukashenko with a request for pardon. This was told by the lawyer of the convict's family, Anton Gashinsky, reports the BBC Russian Service.
In her address, written on June 22, Sapieha asks President Lukashenko to release her from her six-year sentence or to replace it with a more lenient sentence.
“I just want to be close to my family… I want to breathe freely…” the petition says.
In her petition, Sapieha points out that she was motivated to commit "crimes" by "youth and stupidity", as well as unstable mental and physical conditions. She explains that she “fell under the influence of a destructive group of people,” and while behind bars, she “fully realized the wrongfulness and illegality” of her actions and “sincerely repents” of them.
In early June, Alexander Lukashenko said that he considered it possible to transfer the Russian woman Sofya Sapega, convicted in Belarus, to Russia.
"It's a pity girl. We need to resolve this issue. She is Russian… We have practice. We can transfer a Russian citizen to Russia. Let her serve time there. Or they do whatever they want. I think science is big for her,” Lukashenka said.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry told The Insider that Sapieha did not appeal the verdict in order to expedite the filing of a petition for pardon.
On May 6, a court in Belarus sentenced Sapega to 6 years in prison. The girl was charged under seven criminal articles. In particular, she was found guilty of “illegal collection and dissemination of information about private life constituting the personal and family secret of another person, without his consent, which caused harm to the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of the victim.”
Sapieha must pay compensation to the victims for non-pecuniary damage in the amount of 167.5 thousand Belarusian rubles and a court fee of 7,488 rubles. The investigation links this accusation with the participation of Sapieha in the activities of the Black Book of Belarus Telegram channel, which published the personal data of the security forces.