Belarus’ isolation deepened on Tuesday as commercial planes avoided its airspace, the European Union worked up new sanctions, and a senior UN official said he was concerned for the welfare of an opposition journalist arrested in Minsk after his plane was diverted there, apparently on the orders of the country’s longtime strongman.
After his detention, Raman Pratasevich was seen in a brief video clip shown on Belarusian state television late Monday, speaking rapidly to say that he was confessing to some of the charges authorities have levelled against him.
The spokesperson for the UN’s human rights office, Rupert Colville, said Pratasevich’s appearance was likely not voluntary and that he seemed to have bruising to his face, though it was difficult to tell from the footage.