Exiled opposition activist Roman Protasevich detained after his flight from Greece to Lithuania was diverted to Minsk
According to ALJAZZERA, A founder of a messaging app channel that has been a key information conduit for opponents of Belarus’s authoritarian president has been arrested after a passenger plane on which he was travelling was “forcibly” diverted to the capital, Minsk, following an alleged bomb threat.
The presidential press service said President Alexander Lukashenko personally ordered a MiG-29 fighter jet accompany the Ryanair plane, which was en route from Athens to Vilnius – to the Minsk airport.
The Belarusian Interior Ministry said Roman Protasevich was arrested at the airport. Protasevich, 26, is a co-founder of the Telegram messaging app’s Nexta channel, which Belarus last year declared as “extremist” after it was used to help organise large protests against Lukashenko.
Protasevich, who had fled the country for Poland, faces charges that could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
The diversion and Protasevich’s arrest drew immediate international condemnation, calls for the activist’s release, sanctions and an investigation by the United Nations’ civil aviation body.
The United States “strongly condemns the forced diversion of a flight between two EU member states and the subsequent removal and arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich in Minsk. We demand his immediate release,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
“This shocking act perpetrated by the Lukashenka regime endangered the lives of more than 120 passengers, including US citizens.
“Initial reports suggesting the involvement of the Belarusian security services and the use of Belarusian military aircraft to escort the plane are deeply concerning and require full investigation,” he said.
Lukashenko’s office in Belarus said the bomb threat was received while the aircraft was over Belarusian territory; officials later said no explosives were found on board.
Ryanair said the plane’s crew were notified by Belarus of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to the nearest airport, which was in Minsk. The plane landed safely, passengers disembarked and security checks were made by local authorities, it said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk was a “serious and dangerous incident”, saying it required an international investigation.
