The White House is coordinating with European allies in calling for an independent, international investigation into the arrest of journalist Raman Pratasevich by the government of Belarus.
Pratasevich was taken into custody by the Lukashenko regime after a commercial flight he was a passenger on was rerouted to Minsk before leaving Belarusan airspace.
US CONDEMNS BELARUS OVER INCIDENT INVOLVING DISSIDENT JOURNALIST
“We certainly, since you gave me the opportunity to do this, condemn the Lukashenko regime’s ongoing harassment and arbitrary detention of journalists simply for doing their job,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in response to a question on the subject during Monday’s briefing. “This was a shocking act. Diverting a flight between two EU member states for the apparent purpose of arresting a journalist constitutes a brazen affront to international peace and security by the regime.”
“We demand an immediate international, transparent, and credible investigation of this incident,” she continued. “We are in touch with a range of partners bilaterally and through multilateral channels.”
Psaki’s comments mirror a statement released by Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier in the day.
“The United States strongly condemns the forced diversion of a flight between two EU member states and the subsequent removal and arrest of journalist Raman Pratasevich in Minsk,” Blinken said Monday morning. “This shocking act perpetrated by the Lukashenka regime endangered the lives of more than 120 passengers, including U.S. citizens.”
President Joe Biden notably promised never to surveil or seize records from journalists following his bilateral press conference on Friday.
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“It’s simple, simply wrong,” he told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “I will not let that happen.”
