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Roman Protasevich: The young dissident who Belarus diverted a Ryanair flight to arrest For one passenger, however, the diversion was far more ominous. Roman Protasevich, a young Belarusian dissident, scrambled to grab his luggage and is said to have told witnesses that he feared he would face the death penalty. Protasevich, who is wanted on a variety of charges in Belarus, was arrested Sunday when the flight was forced to land in Minsk, in an incident described by some Western leaders as “state-sanctioned hijacking.” Just 26 years old, Protasevich is one of a new generation of Belarusian political activists who was catapulted to prominence by the surge in public opposition to the long and repressive rule of President Alexander Lukashenko. ....
SHARE When the European Council meets later today, its agenda will have been completely rewritten by events of the past 24 hours. On Sunday afternoon, a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius was diverted to Minsk – officially Belarusian authorities claimed there was a bomb threat, a fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane – which was closer to four other airports. Among the passengers was Roman Protasevich, a journalist who by appearances would have been a most unlikely fugitive but is regarded as a terrorist in the eyes of the Belarusian state. It is now obvious the bomb threat was all a ploy, taking advantage of Protasevich transiting Belarusian airspace to bring the flight to the ground and arrest him. ....
Last modified on Mon 24 May 2021 12.28 EDT Belarusâs president, Alexander Lukashenko, has unleashed a brutal campaign against his opponents. More than 35,000 people have been arrested, thousands have been tortured or abused, and 400 political prisoners are currently behind bars. Earlier this week a 50-year-old opposition activist, Vitold Ashurok, died in a penal colony. The official cause of death was âheart attackâ. His widow believes he was murdered. It is against this dark and repressive backdrop that the extraordinary events of Sunday took place. According to state media, Lukashenko personally authorised the forced downing of a Ryanair plane as it flew over Belarusian airspace between Greece and Lithuania â a real-time hijacking. He even dispatched a MIG-29 fighter jet to ensure the pilot complied after being informed of a fake bomb threat. ....
24.05.2021, 15:29 If you want to live with dignity in new Belarus, it’s time to act with dignity. The Basta! telegram channel posted a subscriber s opinion: - Hello, Belarusian! Yesterday, when you calmly finished your dinner after another day of slave labor (no offense, but about 40% of your income goes into the junta s pocket, and most of your expenses are communal apartments and food), political prisoner Vitold Ashurok had passed away in the dungeons for your and my freedom. You say that “it doesn’t concern me,” so maybe that’s why it happened with our silent consent? You say “I m out of politics,” but while each of us lives in his own house on the edge, politics slowly enters every house and takes everything away from its inhabitants. So your house will be next in line soon. ....
Forgotten for months, Belarus and its volatile president of 26 years are back on the western agenda – all thanks to Alexander Lukashenko’s decision to commandeer a passenger jet and arrest the opposition blogger Roman Protasevich, who was flying onboard. On Monday, the United Kingdom became the first country to bar flights by Belavia, the Belarusian state carrier. Europe looks likely to follow suit, with leaders promising a strong response that. ....