The reason for the forced landing was journalist Raman Pratasevich, who was on board the plane and whom the Belarusian authorities wanted to arrest because he is a critic of the government of President Alexander Lukashenko.
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Ryanair said that the Belarusian air traffic control informed the aircraft’s crew that there was a threat on board, apparently a bomb, and ordered that the plane be diverted to Minsk. The army sent a fighter to the plane. After landing, however, nothing was found on board.
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However, 26-year-old Pratasevich was detained at the airport and is being questioned. The plane with other passengers could continue to Vilnius.
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Journalist Raman Pratasevich in the picture from 2017.
Foto: Stringer, Reuters
The President of Lithuania, where the plane was heading, resolutely condemned the arrest of the Belarusian activist and called for his release. Berlin is asking Belarus for an immediate explanation of the action.
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Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhánek is also asking for Pratasevich’s immediate release.
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It is unacceptable that the Belarussian regime has abused international aviation law to persecute its opponents. We urge the investigation of the case and the immediate release of Roman Protasevic and all flight passengers #Ryanair to Vilnius.
– Jakub Kulhanek (@JakubKulhanek) May 23, 2021
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The fighter took off
The Belarusian opposition server Nexta wrote that the alleged reason for the diversion of the plane was the suspicion that a bomb was on board. At the same time, however, he reminded that Pratasevich has been on the list of people “involved in terrorist activities” since last year.
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“I call on NATO and EU allies to respond immediately to the threat posed by the Belarussian regime to international civil aviation. The international community must take immediate action to prevent this from happening again,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said in a statement. He wants to talk about the matter at the EU summit next week in Brussels.
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Fake bomb report on board
According to an adviser to Lithuanian President Asta Skaisgiryté, about 170 people from 12 countries, including 94 Lithuanians, were on board the plane at the time of the incident. According to the adviser, the reports of the occurrence of explosives in the plane diverted from Vilnius to Minsk were false. Belarusian intelligence knew who was on board the plane and probably planned the event in advance, Skaisgiryté said.
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Opposition leader Sviatlana Cichanouska, who lives in exile in Lithuania, has confirmed the detainee’s name, saying she faces the “death penalty” in Belarus.
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“Raman Pratasevich is a Belarusian journalist, photographer, blogger and activist. He worked as a photographer for the major Belarusian media, was involved in Václav Havel’s journalism program,” Cichanouska wrote. She also called for sanctions against Belarus Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
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