The thriller continues with its flight Ryanair 4978 and the sudden diversion of the plane to Minsk, its capital Belarus, which takes on international dimensions. In fact, many governments speak of “state piracy” on the part of the government of Alexander Lukashenko.
Authorities in Belarus have said the Ryanair flight crew decided to land in Minsk “without intervention” after being informed of a bomb threat.
“The decision was made by the captain (of the aircraft and the person in charge) of the crew” without outside intervention, “said Igor Golumb, the aviation commander.
The fate of Roman Protasevic remains unknown
Alongside, The whereabouts of the dissident journalist arrested in Belarus remain unknown, Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said today that her Ryanair plane was forced to land in Minsk.
Western countries denounce “state piracy” on the part of Belarus, and European Union leaders are threatening to impose sanctions on the country. They have appealed for his immediate release 26-year-old journalist and blogger Roman ProtasevitÏ‚, who was returning from Greece to Lithuania.
«We still do not know where it is and in what condition it is. “There is a high probability that he is being tortured by the special services at the moment,” Tichanovskaya told reporters in Vilnius, according to the APE-MPE.
Protasevic’s partner, Sofia Sapega, who was also arrested on Sunday, is in Minsk prison in Okrestina, she added, citing information from her relatives.
Sapega is Russian, but the Russian consul in Minsk refused to help her, the leader of the Belarusian opposition complained.
Tikhanovskaya also said she had discussed Protasevic’s arrest with a spokesman for US President Joe Biden.
Journalistic coverage of “illegal” demonstrations was prohibited by law
Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a law banning journalists from covering illegal demonstrations amid a crackdown on the historic movement to challenge his rule.
“The direct coverage of mass events that violate public order, especially for the purpose of propaganda, will be banned,” the official Belta news agency reported.
It was clarified that this ban applies mainly to journalists.
According to Belta, as reported by APE-MPE, President Lukashenko also signed a law banning news sites from posting “hyperlinks” to “banned” content on the Internet.
The Attorney General’s Office and local prosecutors will also be able to decide for themselves whether to restrict access to news sites they deem “propagandizing” or promoting “extremism”.
Many opposition media outlets, including Nexta, which coordinated opposition rallies last year, have been described as “extremist sites” by the authorities.
Asked by Agence France-Presse, Boris Goretsky, a spokesman for the Belarusian Journalists’ Union, said the new laws “lead to the elimination of what remains of the independent press.” “These restrictions were already being implemented in practice but are now being legislated.”
According to the Union, about 30 journalists are being held in prisons in Belarus. The website of the country’s main independent media outlet, TUT.BY, was blocked last week and many of its associates were arrested. Most correspondents in the foreign press have had their credentials revoked, which deprives them of the right to work legally.
Michelle: What happened yesterday was an international scandal
The situation in Belarus is the first item on the agenda of European leaders, as Charles Michel said at the summit. “What happened yesterday was an international scandal,” he said, noting that the EU was working to impose sanctions.
At the same time, he noted that the lives of citizens were at stake and that the EU was convinced that “a steady response” was needed. Finally, he said that the leaders would discuss EU-Russia relations, the EU-US summit, but also “Israel-Palestine relations”.
“Impose sanctions on Belarus”
Finally, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Raders said today that the Union should first impose more sanctions on Belarus, to put pressure on Minsk and target members of the “regime” responsible for the downing of the Ryanair aircraft on Sunday.
A discussion on air traffic restrictions could also take place, but it remains to be seen whether the European Union can agree on a coordinated, unified approach or whether each country will impose its own restrictions at national level, he added.
“But first of all, to put pressure on the people who are responsible for such behaviors, this is the best way to react to it. And I’m sure that It is very important to show that there is a common approach at the international level“, Raders stressed.
For his part, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said today that the EU should impose further sanctions on Minsk.
“There is a fourth package of financial sanctions that needs to be speeded up (its implementation) but I think we should also look at something about civil aviation because it puts citizens at risk,” the Belgian prime minister told reporters. “I hope we can reach a unanimous decision quickly,” he concluded.
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