<p>The Russian girlfriend of a Belarusian dissident arrested with him when their plane was diverted to Minsk is being held on suspicion of crimes at the time of protests last year, Moscow said Tuesday.</p>.<p>Sofia Sapega, a 23-year-old law student at the European Humanities University (EHU) in Lithuania, was detained along with opposition journalist Roman Protasevich, 26, when their Athens-to-Vilnius flight was diverted to Minsk on Sunday.</p>.<p>The diversion, prompted by a supposed bomb scare, provoked a global outcry and Western leaders have been calling for both to be released.</p>.<p>Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement Tuesday that Sapega was being held on suspicion of "committing crimes" between August and September 2020.</p>.<p>That period corresponds with the outbreak of mass anti-government protests that rocked ex-Soviet Belarus after a disputed presidential election in August last year.</p>.<p>The charges against Sapega were not specified, but Zakharova said they are covered by several articles of the Belarusian criminal code.</p>.<p>After three days, there will be a ruling on whether to release her or put her in pre-trial detention, the statement added.</p>.<p>Zakharova said a Russian consul met on Monday with Sapega's parents, who live in western Belarus.</p>.<p>Russia is expecting to get permission for a consular meeting with Sapega soon, she said.</p>.<p>Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier Tuesday that he "hopes that in the near future" Sapega will be released.</p>.<p>Protasevich fled to Europe in 2019 from where he co-ran the Nexta Telegram channels, a key Belarus opposition media that helped mobilise protesters.</p>.<p>In Belarus he faces charges of organising mass unrest, an offence punishable by up to 15 years in jail.</p>
<p>The Russian girlfriend of a Belarusian dissident arrested with him when their plane was diverted to Minsk is being held on suspicion of crimes at the time of protests last year, Moscow said Tuesday.</p>.<p>Sofia Sapega, a 23-year-old law student at the European Humanities University (EHU) in Lithuania, was detained along with opposition journalist Roman Protasevich, 26, when their Athens-to-Vilnius flight was diverted to Minsk on Sunday.</p>.<p>The diversion, prompted by a supposed bomb scare, provoked a global outcry and Western leaders have been calling for both to be released.</p>.<p>Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement Tuesday that Sapega was being held on suspicion of "committing crimes" between August and September 2020.</p>.<p>That period corresponds with the outbreak of mass anti-government protests that rocked ex-Soviet Belarus after a disputed presidential election in August last year.</p>.<p>The charges against Sapega were not specified, but Zakharova said they are covered by several articles of the Belarusian criminal code.</p>.<p>After three days, there will be a ruling on whether to release her or put her in pre-trial detention, the statement added.</p>.<p>Zakharova said a Russian consul met on Monday with Sapega's parents, who live in western Belarus.</p>.<p>Russia is expecting to get permission for a consular meeting with Sapega soon, she said.</p>.<p>Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier Tuesday that he "hopes that in the near future" Sapega will be released.</p>.<p>Protasevich fled to Europe in 2019 from where he co-ran the Nexta Telegram channels, a key Belarus opposition media that helped mobilise protesters.</p>.<p>In Belarus he faces charges of organising mass unrest, an offence punishable by up to 15 years in jail.</p>