Evan Neumann, wanted by the FBI on charges including striking police officers at the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, has been granted asylum in Belarus.
Neumann fled the US one month after the riot and had sought asylum last year claiming he was facing political persecution in the US.
Lukashenko's regime in Belarus is well-known for human rights abuses, yet it has granted asylum to a man facing legitimate charges. This is a political move intended to cover up domestic problems caused by the authoritarian regime and to fan anti-US propaganda narratives.
Belarus, like Russia, is being demonized in the US media. The country has opened its arms to help an American-who has strenuously maintained his innocence-evade political persecution at the hands of the FBI.