World reacts to plane ‘hijacking’, arrest of journalist

Fierce outcry in the West after Belarus forced a plane carrying a wanted journalist to divert and land in its capital.

European countries, the United States and the United Nations have condemned Belarus after authorities there forced a passenger plane carrying a wanted journalist to divert and land in its capital.

In what was described by some European Union leaders as a “hijacking”, the Ryanair passenger plane flying from Greece to Lithuania on Sunday was suddenly diverted to Minsk and escorted there by a Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jet.

After landing, authorities took journalist Roman Protasevich into custody.

Protasevich is accused of “extremism” in Belarus, of organising riots and inciting hatred – charges relating to his involvement in mass anti-government rallies and which could see him jailed. He denies the allegations.

He used the messaging app Telegram to broadcast footage of the protests as Belarus cracked down on media organisations.

Sunday’s incident comes as the EU is set to discuss toughening its existing sanctions against Belarus, imposed over President Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown on opposition protesters, at a preplanned summit on Monday.

Authorities in Belarus have insisted they acted legally.

“There is no doubt that the actions of our competent authorities … fully met established international rules,” foreign ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz said in a statement on Monday, accusing the West of “politicising” the situation.

“Unfounded accusations are being made,” he said.

Russia, Belarus’s main ally, dismissed the West’s furious response as hypocritical.

Here is a roundup of global reaction:

European Union

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said “the outrageous and illegal behaviour of the regime in Belarus will have consequences&rdquo

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

Lithuania

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda described Belarus’s actions as “abhorrent” and called for Protasevich’s immediate release.

Prosecutors also said they had opened a criminal investigation into the hijacking of a plane

🇪🇺 leaders will discuss a state-sponsored terror act in #Minsk tomorrow at #EUCO. My suggestions: airspace over 🇧🇾 shall be recognized unsafe, 🇧🇾 aircrafts shall not be accepted in 🇪🇺 airports, immediate investigation by @icao & serious sanctions against the regime.
— Gitanas Nausėda (@GitanasNauseda) May 23, 2021