Belarusian authorities diverted a fighter jet bound for Lithuania in order to arrest an oppositional journalist on board, according to multiple reports.
Officials from Belarus called in a false bomb threat on Sunday to force a Ryanair plane, which originated in Athens, Greece, and was bound for Vilnius in Lithuania, to land and then detained journalist Roman Protasevich when the plane landed in Minsk, Reuters reported. The plane was diverted just two minutes before it was set to enter Lithuanian airspace, and the plane took off again after several hours in Minsk en route to Vilnius, a top European Union official told the outlet.
Protasevich, 26, was a co-founder of an online opposition news service NEXTA, which Belarus declared was extremist due to its role in helping organize protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who personally ordered a Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jet to accompany the Ryanair plane to the airport in Minsk, according to the Associated Press.
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The redirecting was widely criticized by officials who believe the act was intended to quiet dissidents. Gitanas Nauseda, president of Lithuania, called Belarus’s diversion a “state-sponsored terror act” in a tweet.
“Unprecedented event! A civilian passenger plane flying to Vilnius was forcibly landed in #Minsk. Belarusian political activist & founder of @NEXTA_EN was on the plane. He is arrested,” he continued. “[Belarus’s] regime is behind the abhorrent action. I demand to free Roman Protasevič urgently!”
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the diversion “a serious & dangerous incident which requires international investigation,” adding that “Belarus must ensure safe return of crew & all passengers,” and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU commission, called Belarus’s actions “unacceptable.”
“Any violation of international air transport rules must bear consequences,” she added.
Ryanair, which reported the plane landed safely in Lithuania, confirmed the plane was diverted after Belarus air traffic controllers alerted the crew of a potential security threat on board.
“We apologise sincerely to all affected passengers for this regrettable delay, which was outside Ryanair’s control,” the company continued.
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Many protests have taken to the streets in Belarus since August, when it was announced that Lukashenko had been elected to serve a sixth term. Independent observers say the election was rigged in his favor.
Other journalists have been arrested over charges stemming from their coverage of the demonstrations. Katsiaryna Bakhvalava, 27, and Daria Chultsova, 23, journalists for the Polish-funded Belsat TV channel, were convicted in February on charges of “organizing actions rudely violating public order,” which they both denied.
