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Lithuania grants political asylum to journalist Natallya Radzina

The Lithuanian interior ministry's migration department has granted political asylum to Natallya Radzina, editor of Belarusian opposition news site charter97.org.

"I'm grateful to the authorities of Lithuania for granting me political asylum," Ms. Radzina says on the site. "For the first time in 14 years as a Belarusian independent journalist, I feel safe," she says. "However, I don't consider myself an emigrant and plan to return to Belarus as soon as the situation changes. And I don't doubt that Lukashenka won't last long."

Ms. Radzina was arrested following a post-election protest in Minsk on December 19, 2010 and charged with organizing "mass disorder." She was released on her own recognizance on January 28.

Ms. Radzina went to Moscow on April 1, one day after she was scheduled to present herself at the central office of the Committee for State Security (KGB) in Minsk for what could be her second arrest in the case. After being granted the status of refugee by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ms. Radzina traveled to the Netherlands on July 28 but three days later she moved to Lithuania, where the office of the news site is currently based. She applied to the Lithuanian authorities for political asylum on August 4.

In late August, Ms. Radzina's family was notified that the criminal case against her had been dropped.

However, she decided against returning to Belarus, explaining that she might be recharged and convicted in connection with the December 19 protest. //BelaPAN