American who received asylum in Belarus returned to the USA
Evan Newman even opened a restaurant in Brest.
Evan Newman traveled to Belarus via Ukraine, crossing the border illegally in September 2021. The American was immediately shown on state television, and less than a year later he was granted political asylum, recalls Radio Svaboda (Radio Liberty) about the history of his escape.
In his homeland, the USA, Newman was suspected of 14 criminal episodes, including storming a government building and assaulting police officers.
Soon after receiving political refugee status, Newman settled in Brest, where he began working as an English tutor for children, and then opened an American cuisine restaurant, Route 66. “I was surprised by how clean your streets are and how precisely everything is organized,” Newman said in an interview with Belarusian propagandists. “Buses run constantly, trains run constantly. This pleasantly surprised me.”
In the autumn of 2024, Donald Trump assumed the presidency of the USA, and Newman became his active supporter. In the winter of 2025, Trump pardoned Newman along with other participants in the Capitol assault.
For some time after this, the American remained in Brest. But by the summer of 2025, Route 66's social media stopped updating, and another establishment appeared at the American restaurant's address.
“They closed down in the summer already,” they told Svaboda (Liberty) about the fate of Newman’s Brest business.
As Svaboda (Liberty) learned, the American is also no longer at the English language study center where he worked after receiving political asylum in Belarus.
Several sources confirmed that shortly after the pardon, Newman returned to the USA.