UK condemns Belarus authorities over forced Ryanair flight landing

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) – Britain on Monday condemned Belarusian authorities’ diverting a Ryanair flight to Minsk in order to detain a Belarusian activist.

“The UK condemns yesterday’s actions by the Belarusian authorities, who arrested journalist Roman Protasevich on the basis of a ruse, having forced his flight to land in Minsk,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement.

“Mr [Alexander] Lukashenko must be held to account for his outlandish actions,” he added, referring to Belarus’ longtime president.

Urging the “immediate release of Mr Protasevich and other political prisoners held in Belarus,” Raab said: “The UK is working with our allies on a coordinated response, including further sanctions.”

“The UK also calls for the ICAO Council to meet urgently to consider the regime’s flouting of the international rules safeguarding civil aviation,” he added, referring to the International Civil Aviation Organization.

On Sunday, citing a “bomb threat,” a Belarusian MIG-29 fighter jet forced a Ryanair plane passing through Belarus’ airspace to land, and then detained passenger Roman Protasevich, a journalist wanted for his involvement in "terrorist incidents."

The EU, NATO, and US also criticized the forced landing and detention.