“This shocking act perpetrated by the Lukashenka regime endangered the lives of more than 120 passengers,” Antony Blinken said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday condemned Belarus for forcing down a civilian airliner over its airspace in order to arrest a dissident on the flight.
Faking a bomb threat, Belarus used fighter aircraft to force down a Ryanair flight and arrest journalist Raman Pratasevich.
“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 in a statement. “We demand his immediate release.”
President Alexander Lukashenka of Belarus has in recent months faced increasing opposition to his iron-fisted rule, leading to mass arrests and the departure of some opposition leaders from the country. He has been in power since 1994 in the former Soviet republic.
“This shocking act,” Blinken said, “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.”
Blinken’s statement followed criticism of Lukashenka — also rendered as Lukashenko — by the American ambassador to Belarus, as well as a number of congressional leaders.
“Lukashenka and his regime today showed again its contempt for international community and its citizens,” U.S. Ambassador Julie Fisher tweeted.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) joined lawmakers from Europe in issuing a condemnation.
Menendez, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was joined by lawmakers who hold similar positions in the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the United Kingdom. “We, the chairs of our respective national parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committees, condemn unequivocally the threat of violence used against a civilian aircraft in the skies over Belarus,” they said.
Menendez and the others condemned Belarus not only for the act of arresting Protasevich but also for the harm it could have caused everyone on the flight, which was headed from Greece to Lithuania. “This reckless act put the passengers and crew in grave danger. It is a reminder of the illegitimacy of the administration claiming authority in Minsk,” they said.
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Other European leaders condemned Belarus’ action. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the episode was “an unprecedented act of state terrorism,” and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the action “outrageous and illegal.”
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- Discussion
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Belarus for forcing down a civilian airliner over its airspace in order to arrest a dissident on the flight https://t.co/oahmCHzAXq
— POLITICO (@politico) May 24, 2021
Truly shocking and unprecedented: Ryanair flight carrying Belarusian journalist critical of the regime forced to land in Minsk. The journalist was subsequently arrested and faces 15 years in prison. A true nightmare. This is why I’ll never fly over Russia. https://t.co/0biLWFDMqz
— Bill Browder (@Billbrowder) May 23, 2021
Whether or not Putin had a heads up, he’s fully enmeshed:
A Russian MiG jet forced the plane to land, the editor of RT said Lukashenko “played it beautifully”, and a member of Russia’s parliament, described the arrest as a “brilliant special operation.”https://t.co/Jr2zodXTr9
— Bianna Golodryga (@biannagolodryga) May 23, 2021
The outrageous and illegal behaviour of the regime in Belarus will have consequences.
Those responsible for the #Ryanair hijacking must be sanctioned.
Journalist Roman Protasevich must be released immediately.
EUCO will discuss tomorrow action to take.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 23, 2021
@IlvesToomas Air Baltic wants its passengers to be safe and began skipping Belarus airspace tonight. https://t.co/DgL6MLpzR0
— Aivars Rūmnieks (@AivarsTennisUK) May 23, 2021
US Secretary of State on the Belarus plane incident: https://t.co/2CxsdZj6WW
— kriszta satori (@fulelo) May 23, 2021
Jake Sullivan, who spoke to Belarus opposition leader, calls for release of all Belarus political prisoners after “brazen and dangerous grounding of a Ryanair flight between two EU member states on May 23 and the subsequent removal and detention of journalist Raman Pratasevich.” https://t.co/UDcW08AL2W
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) May 24, 2021
The EU got this right, and pretty quickly. https://t.co/f3OF73q6mx
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 24, 2021
One of the saddest elements in the Belarus story: "According to the Instagram story of one woman aboard, Protasevich begged a flight attendant not to give him away. But the Ryanair employee told him that legally they had no choice." https://t.co/3oZi2MWVlV
— Walter Shapiro (@MrWalterShapiro) May 24, 2021
Used to be harder to find Belarus on a map. pic.twitter.com/Z6RKQyCNNZ
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) May 25, 2021
Good. Now the G7 needs to apply Magnitsky sanctions against Lukashenko’s money men. https://t.co/bGn1SiUBwk
— Bill Browder (@Billbrowder) May 27, 2021
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