Prominent Belarussian journalist seeks asylum in Lithuania

VILNIUS -- Prominent Belarusian journalist Natalia Radina, the editor of popular opposition website Charter97, has announced that she will be seeking asylum in Lithuania to escape prison.

Radina escaped interrogation around four months ago by fleeing the country for Russia and the Netherlands.

"I am very thankful to the Netherlands for my rescue, but I left for Lithuania in three days. After the presidential election charter97.org website was registered in this country, my team works there, and I can perform my work properly only in Vilnius. On August 4 I asked for political asylum in Lithuania," she said in an open letter published on her website.

She had been arrested for helping to organize a protest over the falsification of presidential election results. She faces a 15-year prison sentence in her home country.

Radina has said that she hopes her application for asylum will be processed more quickly than the usual 3 months.