Flights over Belarus Banned
On May 23rd a Vilnius-bound Ryanair flight from Athens was diverted to Minsk so that an opposition journalist, Roman Protasevich, could be arrested by Belarusian authorities, reports LRT.lt. The flight carrying 126 passengers was to arrive in Vilnius at 13:00 on Sunday, but was forced to turn back before crossing the Lithuanian border and land in the Belarusian capital. Minsk Airport told the Interfax news agency that it had received a report about a bomb onboard. However a spokeswoman for the Lithuanian Airports told BNS that she was informed the plane was grounded due to a conflict between passengers and the flight crew. Lithuania did not receive any information about a bomb or any other details from Belarus, she added.
The plane from Athens to Vilnius was hijacked with an MiG-29 fighter and an Mi24 helicopter. The passenger plane was instructed to change course and fly to Minsk Airport, purportedly due to a threat of explosives. The passengers were subjected to repeated security checks, and as they disembarked from the plane, Protasevich was detained.
A former news photographer, Protasevich fled Belarus in 2019 and was active in reporting on the 2020 presidential election on the Nexta channel, which was instrumental in guiding and helping organize the protests against Alexander Lukashenko. The Belarusian security service, KGB, has listed him as a terrorist.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said on Sunday that Protasevich had asylum in Lithuania and demanded that he be immediately released. “The international community must immediately take action so that similar incidents do not happen again. I will raise this issue at the EU Council tomorrow in Brussels”.
The flight arrived in Vilnius at around 21:30 on Sunday, with only 121 passengers on board. A pre-trial investigation into aircraft hijacking and prohibited treatment of people under international law has been launched.
By Monday, May 24, the incident was condemned by leaders of NATO, the European Commission and some EU member states. On Monday, Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry urged its citizens currently in Belarus to leave the country due to the danger to “the lives of civilians” posed by the regime in Minsk. The ministry issued a statement on Monday, saying it strongly recommends Lithuanian citizens against all travel to the Republic of Belarus and urges all Lithuanian citizens in Belarus to leave the country.
Lithuania’s government has banned flights from departing or arriving in the country if they have used, or plan to use, the Belarusian airspace, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė announced.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis also called on EU member states to follow suit. The ban will take effect at 00:00 UTC (03:00 Vilnius time) on May 25.
Lithuania’s U-21 and national men’s football teams will not go to Minsk to play planned games against Belarus this year. Edgaras Stankevičius, secretary general of the Lithuanian Football Federation, told reporters on Monday that it’s too risky in the political context for the health and safety of our players and their family members. Lithuania’s national men’s team was to play in Minsk on November 16, while the country’s U-21 team was scheduled to play against Belarus on June 8. Earlier on Monday, Lithuania’s association of professional football players (PFA Lietuva) also issued a call to cancel the games.
News from LRT.lt
