From Capitol rioter to Belarusian teacher: the unexpected journey of Evan Neumann
Recall that in January 2021, Evan Neumann took part in the infamous storming of the Capitol by angry Donald Trump supporters. Neumann faced six charges, including assaulting police officers. He was accused of punching two officers and using a metal barricade for his defense during the Capitol building riots.
Jan 29, 2024 | updated: 4:41 AM EST, March 7, 2024
After Neumann found himself on the FBI's most-wanted criminals list, he sold his house and left the country. On Lukashenko's regime television, he spoke about his journey. In March 2021, he used the cover of a business trip to travel to Italy, then to Ukraine, particularity, Zhytomyr. Here, Ukraine's security service started monitoring him. Feeling the pressure, he opted to flee to Belarus and seek asylum there.
A safe haven?
Neumann received the document affirming his refugee status in March 2022. Belarusian media, under government control, portrayed the American as a courageous man who fled his homeland from "governments of lawlessness and the Middle Ages".
"I feel safe in Belarus. It's peaceful here, I like the country. However, I have mixed feelings about being here. I appreciate that Belarus took me in. Nevertheless, I am disappointed that I found myself in this situation, and that I encountered so many problems in my home country," said Neumann as he received the documents confirming his asylum.
Images available online substantiate that Neumann has become a teacher. They show him leading English lessons in a Belarusian school, donned in an American hat.
It turns out that Neumann secured a teaching position at the International Language House in Brest. According to Nasza Niwa, this is the only school in the Brest region that is accredited by the British National Association English UK, a collaborator of the British Council.
