The United States supports an early meeting of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to consider the situation with the forced landing of a Ryanair plane on the Athens-Vilnius flight in Minsk to detain passenger Roman Protasevich, the founder of the opposition Telegram channel NEXTA. This was stated by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
“This shocking act, committed by the Lukashenka regime, endangered the lives of more than 120 passengers, including US citizens,” the Secretary of State stressed.
In posts on the State Department website and on his Twitter, he writes that Washington “strongly condemns” the forced re-direction of flight between the two EU member states and the subsequent arrest of the journalist. The head of the US diplomacy demanded the immediate release of Protasevich.
Read also: “Act of State Terrorism”. Reaction of EU leaders to the hijacking of the plane by the Lukashenka regime
Blinken is “seriously concerned” that the special services of Belarus were involved in the situation, and military aircraft were used to force the plane to land.
“We demand an international investigation and are closely coordinating our response with partners, including the EU, as well as officials from Lithuania and Greece,” writes Blinken, stressing that there are indications that the landing was justified by a lie about a “bomb” on board.
Blinken added that independent media are the backbone of the rule of law and a vital component of a democratic society. According to him, the United States “supports the people of Belarus in their striving for a free, democratic and prosperous future,” where human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected.
- On May 23, 2021, the regime of the dictator of Belarus Lukashenko, using a fighter jet, forced the Ryanair airline flight FR4978 Athens-Vilnius to land in Minsk. From the board of the KGB, he removed the co-founder of the largest opposition Telegram channel NEXTA, Roman Protasevich. He is threatened with at least the maximum prison term, he himself does not exclude execution.
- The leader of the country’s opposition in exile Tikhanovskaya is an operation of Lukashenka’s special services.
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