International media shouted in outrage today over the fact that Belarus forced a Ryanair aircraft flying through Belarus airspace, en route from Athens to Vilnius, to make an “emergency landing” in Minsk so it could arrest an exiled Belarusian anti-government journalist-blogger onboard, Roman Protasevich. The action was clearly illegal; but as Glenn Greenwald quickly reminded in a detailed recounting of recent history on his website https://greenwald.substack.com, it “is not unprecedented. The dangerous tactic was pioneered by the same U.S. and EU officials now righteously condemning it.” Its headline is “As Anger Toward Belarus Mounts, Recall the 2013 Forced Landing of Bolivia’s Plane to Find Snowden.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement today saying the United States “strongly condemns the forced diversion of a flight” and the arrest of Protasevich in Minsk. He accused the Lukashenko regime of having “endangered the lives of more than 120 passengers, including U.S. citizens.” The United States is calling for a meeting of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization, and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanded Belarus be suspended from the Civil Aviation Council. The Greek government denounced the actions, since the flight originated in Greece. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it will be summoning the ambassador of Belarus to hand him a note of protest.
Roman Protasevich, a co-founder of the Nexta Telegram channel, designated as extremist in Belarus, was in Greece attending the Delphi Economic Forum along with several other opposition figures. Apparently four others left the plane in Minsk, possibly Belarus secret agents.
