Maltese MEPs outraged at mid-flight ‘kidnapping’ of critical Belarusian journalist
MEPs accuse Belarus of hijacking and state terrorism by forcing a Ryanair flight into an emergency landing in Minsk after a fictitious bomb threat, arresting a journalist critical of authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko
Last updated on 24 May 2021, 9:32am
by David Lindsay
Maltese Nationalist MEPs Roberta Metsola and David Casa have joined the growing chorus of outrage over the ‘kidnapping’ of a renowned Belarusian journalist aboard a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius.
MEPs have accused Belarus of hijacking and state terrorism when it forced a Ryanair flight into an emergency landing in Minsk after an allegedly fictitious bomb threat, arresting a journalist critical of authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko.
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Britain said the president of Belarus must be “held to account” after he scrambled a fighter jet to force a Ryanair plane carrying a dissident journalist to land.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned Alexander Lukashenko for his “outlandish actions” and said the UK was working with its allies on a “coordinated” response.
It comes after Belarus flagged what turned out to be a false bomb alert to land the plane flying 171 passengers from Greece to Lithuania on Sunday.
They forced the plane to land in their capital city of Minsk before arresting 26-year-old Belarusian journalist and activist Roman Protasevich, pictured below.
Maltese MEPs outraged at mid-flight ‘kidnapping’ of critical Belarusian journalist
MEPs accuse Belarus of hijacking and state terrorism by forcing a Ryanair flight into an emergency landing in Minsk after a fictitious bomb threat, arresting a journalist critical of authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko
Last updated on 24 May 2021, 9:32am
by David Lindsay
Maltese Nationalist MEPs Roberta Metsola and David Casa have joined the growing chorus of outrage over the ‘kidnapping’ of a renowned Belarusian journalist aboard a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius.
MEPs have accused Belarus of hijacking and state terrorism when it forced a Ryanair flight into an emergency landing in Minsk after an allegedly fictitious bomb threat, arresting a journalist critical of authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko.