Natalya’s mother, identified as the former editor-in-chief of the NEXTA Telegram channel, Roman Protasevich, has returned to Belarus, a development reported by the Belarusian state news agency BelTA. This return marks a notable moment in the ongoing personal and political narratives surrounding the Protasevich family and their ties to Minsk and the broader Belarusian political scene.
Natalya Protasevich previously left Belarus in the autumn of 2020, a move she has described as a difficult consequence of the volatile conditions at the time. In March 2023, she submitted a formal appeal seeking permission to return to the republic, and on April 29 she received a response indicating that there were no criminal or administrative charges against her. The decision cleared a potential path for her safe reentry, subject to the state’s assessment and broader security considerations that often accompany such cases in Belarus.
A spokesperson or official close to the family quoted Natalya saying that she chose to come back to Belarus in May following that ruling. The statement underscored her longing for family connections and a sense of belonging to Minsk and the country as a whole, emphasizing that she had not been present in Belarus for nearly three years prior to her return. The personal dimension of this decision highlights the emotional stakes involved for individuals tied to a controversial political landscape, where residence, movement, and national ties can become matters of personal significance as well as political interest.
In a separate but related timeline, on May 3, 2023, the court in Minsk delivered a ruling concerning Roman Protasevich, who had been detained in the city since late May 2021. He received an eight-year prison sentence, a sentence that would later be commuted through a presidential pardon issued by President Aleksandr Lukashenko. The pardon effectively nullified the original punishment, aligning with Lukashenko’s public statements about keeping commitments and his stated willingness to reconsider cases that had drawn international attention. Protasevich’s eventual pardon is a notable example of how official decrees can alter the course of legal outcomes in high-profile political matters and how such actions are presented to the public as upholding promises made by leadership.
Earlier in the process, statements attributed to the Kremlin and other branches of government reflected a cautious tone in relation to Lukashenko’s decisions. The broader context of those remarks suggests a delicate balancing act between diplomacy, domestic policy, and the messaging used to address both domestic audiences and international observers. The overall sequence—from detention and sentencing to pardon—illustrates how the Belarusian leadership uses formal legal mechanisms and executive powers to manage sensitive cases that attract global scrutiny while attempting to control the narrative surrounding political dissent, media figures, and national security concerns.