Capitol rioter Evan Neumann applies for asylum in Belarus, says local media
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/eu ... story.htmlEvan Neumann, who appears to have sat down for an interview with Belarusian state television in a segment entitled “Goodbye, America,” is wanted in the United States on charges of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, as well as for assaulting, resisting and obstructing law enforcement during civil disorder.
When mass protests broke out across Belarus last year over the presidential election, which the international community has widely denounced as rigged, thousands of demonstrators were brutally beaten by police and arrested. Many said they were tortured in prison.
But Neumann could be welcomed in Belarus as part of the regime’s anti-Western propaganda. Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, has said last year’s opposition movement was stoked by the United States to unseat him.
In an excerpt of Neumann’s interview, the Belarusian state television presenter said Neumann “sought justice and asked uncomfortable questions” following the 2020 U.S. elections. The 48-year-old “lost almost everything and is being persecuted by the U.S. government,” the presenter added.