A January 6th patriot has been granted asylum in Belarus, according to the country’s state media on Tuesday.

Evan Neumann, a former California resident charged with more than a dozen crimes in Washington related to Jan 6 incident fled the country shortly after the protest last year.

It is unclear at this time whether or not Neumann will ever be allowed to return to the U.S. to live a normal life. Neumann describes his asylum approval as ‘bittersweet’.

The state media stated, 49-year-old Neumann formally applied for asylum after crossing into Belarus near the southwestern city of Pinsk last August. Belarusian authorities confirmed the request was granted on Tuesday, in a video posted by the state-owned television network BelTA, Neumann is seen signing a migration document and shaking hands with a police official.

“Now you are completely under the protection of the Republic of Belarus,” said an official identified by Belta as Yuriy Brazinskiy, an immigration official in Brest, the city where Mr. Neumann is living. The status was valid for “an indefinite period of time,” Mr. Brazinskiy said.

Mill Valley’s Evan Neumann appears on Belarus TV being granted asylum. He’s wanted by the FBI, charged with several counts involving violence on police officers during the January 6th assault on the US Capitol. pic.twitter.com/Kofkw8Z46t

— Dan Noyes (@dannoyes) March 23, 2022

BREAKING REPORT: Capitol rioter from California Evan Neumann, 49 – Wanted by the FBI is granted ASYLUM in Belarus after being hit with 14 charges in the US…

— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) March 23, 2022

According to NPR on Neumann’s recent asylum status:

He received his new Belarusian identification document from the department of citizenship and migration office in Brest, with reporters looking on.

Belarus claims that the U.S. charges against Neumann are politically motivated. He was granted refugee status almost exactly one year after the first criminal complaint was filed against him last March.

Evan Neumann, a US citizen who took part in the storming of the Capitol in January 2021, was granted asylum in Belarus today. He fled the US last August after six criminal charges were allegedly brought against him. pic.twitter.com/BQ1cx4fSef

— Tadeusz Giczan 🇺🇦 (@TadeuszGiczan) March 22, 2022

An accused Jan. 6 rioter received asylum in Belarus, after fleeing trial in the U.S.

Evan Neumann is charged with allegedly punching 2 cops and fighting off police with a metal barricade as a “battering ram” during the Capitol riots. Neumann is 1 of 650+ people charged.

📸: DOJ pic.twitter.com/MgCFsgRKyc

— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 23, 2022

In a report by BBC:

Mr. Neumann told state TV he planned to stay in the Belarusian city of Brest.

“I have started a life here,” he said.

He added that he has plans “to move my family here,” but noted that the decision would ultimately be up to his wife.

Sources: Welovetrump, Npr, Bbc