PRESS STATEMENT
MAY 23, 2021
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. We demand his immediate release. This shocking act perpetrated by the Lukashenka regime endangered the lives of more than 120 passengers, including U.S. citizens. Initial reports suggesting the involvement of the Belarusian security services and the use of Belarusian military aircraft to escort the plane are deeply concerning and require full investigation.
We are closely coordinating our response with our partners, including the EU and Lithuanian and Greek officials. Given indications the forced landing was based on false pretenses, we support the earliest possible meeting of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization to review these events.
Ryanair s Michael O Leary condemns state-sponsored piracy after jet with KGB agents on board was forced to land in Belarus and opposition blogger and his girlfriend were hauled off pleading for his life after MiG-29 threatened to shoot plane down
Opposition journalist Roman Protasevich, 26, was detained after flight to Lithuania was forced down at Minsk
Belarus claimed that there was a bomb threat but O Leary poured scorn on the notion, describing it as state-sponsored hijacking, adding that we believe there were some KGB agents offloaded at the airport as well
Tory MP Tom Tugendhat called it a warlike act, joining the British government and other Western countries who have condemned the grounding of the Boeing 737 which had more than 170 passengers on board
24.05.2021, 12:20
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How the West will react to the hijacking by the Lukashenka regime.
The U.S., the EU, Britain and Canada imposed sanctions against members of the Belarusian authorities after the large-scale protests in Belarus last year. They affected nearly 90 Belarusian officials, including Lukashenka, reports the BBC. By coercion, the Belarusian authorities have jeopardized the safety of passengers and crew,
Josep Borrel, head of European diplomacy, said on Monday.
According to Bloomberg, Monday s EU summit in Brussels will discuss possible sanctions, which may include sanctions against individuals and legal entities, suspension of all flights of the EU airlines over Belarus and a ban for Belavia to land at European airports.
UK government advises national airlines against flying over Belarusian airspace May 24, 2021
Belavia, the Belarusian airline, has also had its operating permit to fly between the UK and Belarus suspended with immediate effect. Courtesy file photo
Saudi Gazette report
LONDON The government in the United Kingdom issued on Monday a notice, advising all UK airlines to cease overflights of Belarusian airspace, according to a press statement.
Belavia, the Belarusian airline, has also had its operating permit to fly between the UK and Belarus suspended with immediate effect.
Belavia was the only Belarusian airline with a permit to fly into the UK. The Civil Aviation Authority will be instructed not to issue any further ad-hoc permits to Belarusian carriers.
European Union leaders are considering a joint response to Belarus’ diversion of a Ryanair plane travelling between EU member nations in order to arrest a prominent opposition journalist.
Roman Protasevich, who ran a popular messaging app that played a key role in helping organise protests against Belarus’ authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko, was on board the Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania when it was diverted to the Belarusian capital, Minsk, while flying over that country.
Belarusian flight controllers had warned the plane crew of an alleged bomb threat and ordered it to land in Minsk, and a Belarusian fighter jet was scrambled to escort the Ryanair airliner.