Biden: The diversion of the Ryanair aircraft is scandalous

Joe Biden on Monday condemned the “scandalous” diversion of a European aircraft flying from Athens to Vilnius by the Belarusian authorities in Minsk to arrest an opponent of the regime of Alexander Lukashenko, who immediately demanded the release of US President Alexander Lukashenko.

«The United States strongly condemns the diversion and capture of the aircraft“Roman Protasevic,” the Democratic president said in a statement released by his services.

“This scandalous incident and the video in which Mr Protashevich appears to be speaking under duress are shameful attacks on political dissent and freedom of the press,” said Biden, speaking out in support of EU sanctions against Belarus. calling for the release of the dissident.

USA “unite their voice with those calling for an international inquiry“The US President” welcomes the news that the European Union has imposed targeted economic sanctions and other measures “and notes that”I asked my group to consider the appropriate options so that those responsible can be held accountable, in close coordination with the EU, to other allies and partners and to international organizations.».

The leaders of the 27 EU member states decided last night to close their airspace in Belarus and impose a new round of sanctions against the government of Alexander Lukashenko.

They also advised European airlines to bypass Belarus airspace, said Charles Michel, spokesman for the President of the European Council.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, for his part, spoke with Svetlana Tichanovskaya, a member of the Belarussian opposition exiled in Lithuania, in which he expressed “strong US support” for the demand for “democratic and human rights.” freedoms “of the” Belarusian people “, said a spokeswoman for his spokesman.

Roman Protasevic, 26, and his partner Sofia Sapega were aboard a Ryanair Boeing 737 flying from Athens to Vilnius on Sunday when it capsized in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. under the pretext of information about a bomb that turned out to be false. They were arrested at the airport. The young man, who is being held in Minsk, made “confessions” in a video broadcast on Belarusian state television.

You may also like