International community condemned Belarusian dictator Lukashenko’s decision to hijack flight and arrest opponent

The international community has reacted with outrage to Belarusian dictator Alexadr Lukashenko’s decision to hijack a commercial flight and force it to land in Minsk to arrest a known opponent. and called for his release and an investigation into this unprecedented incident.

It was a flight of the airline Ryanair which flew from Athens to Vilnius and which, by direct order of Lukashenko, landed in Minsk to arrest the journalist opposed to the regime. Roman Protasevich.

Convictions for what is considered a blatant violation of international transport rules have been swift. Among the most resounding were those from the United States and the European Union (EU), which warned that there would be consequences and called for an investigation into what happened.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has demanded the journalist’s immediate release and argued that his government is coordinating closely on this issue with its allies, including representatives of the EU, Greece and Lithuania.

Given the indications that the forced landing was based on lies, Washington supports a meeting as soon as possible of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to address this event.

From the EU, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, announced that this “unprecedented incident” will be discussed at the extraordinary summit, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in Brussels.

This “incident will not be without consequences”Michel said in a statement in which he launched “an appeal to the Belarusian authorities to immediately release the arrested passenger and fully guarantee his rights”.

“Any violation of international air transport regulations must have consequences,” tweeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who deemed the incident “absolutely unacceptable”.

In addition, the EU’s top foreign policy representative, Josep Borrell, called what happened “totally unacceptable” and held the Belarusian regime responsible. “For the safety of all passengers.”

And NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter that it was a “serious and dangerous incident that requires international investigation.”

France called Belarusian authorities’ decision “unacceptable” and, through his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, he called for “a firm and united response from the Europeans”.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda demanded the immediate release of Protasevich, while German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tweeted that what happened “cannot be without clear consequences” from the European Union.

From Greece, where the hijacked plane took off, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, called on the summit of EU leaders to address the need to “step up the pressure” on Belarus.

In addition, the Greek Foreign Ministry condemned the “hijacking” of the flight of the company Ryanair, on board 171 passengers, including 11 Greek citizens, and stressed that this act endangered the life of all.

Austria joined in the sentences, demanded the urgent release of the detainee and called for “an independent and international investigation”.

“Alarming reports of a @Ryanair being diverted to #Minsk. All passengers must be able to continue traveling and we need an independent international investigation into this incident.”Says the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement published on its official Twitter account.

It all started when the crew of Ryanair flight FR4978 “was informed by the Belarusian air traffic control service of a potential threat to on-board safety and were instructed to divert (the plane) to the nearest airport, Minsk, “he said. A declaration.

The Telegram channel associated with the press service of the Belarusian regime, explained that the president had been “immediately informed” of the threat. and “gave the unconditional order to turn the plane around and receive it” at Minsk airport.

With information from EFE

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