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“We came here because we want to send a signal that we support journalists in Belarus,” the head of the RSF said after a meeting with Lithuanian prosecutors who had launched an investigation into the forced landing of Ryanair’s plane in Belarus.
On behalf of the RSF, Duel has also filed a formal complaint in Lithuania against the authoritarian leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.
After landing a Ryanair plane in Minsk, Belarusian authorities detained Roman Protasevich, a Belarusian opposition journalist, and his friend Sofia Sapeg.
“It is important to continue to work on all avenues to effectively support journalists in Belarus in the future, as they are now in a catastrophic situation,” Deluel said.
An investigation into the incident has also been launched in Poland, where a Ryanair plane landed in Belarus is registered.
“If you want results, if you want the release of a journalist arrested today, if you want an end to the repression in Belarus against journalists and all civilians, there is political pressure and economic sanctions that can be imposed on states, but there are also legal steps,” said Deluel.
“Those who take part in such events must one day be convicted, they must be held accountable, and the same applies to the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko,” he added.
World In the press freedom index, the RSF ranked Belarus 158th out of 180 countries in 2021.
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