“State hijack”: Ryanair plane Athens-Vilnius forced to land in Minsk, journalist arrested

A Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius was diverted to Minsk and forced to land in Belarus earlier on Sunday. Belarus journalist and opposition activist Roman Pratasevich on board of the Rayanair flight was arrested right after the plane landed in Minsk. This “state hijacking” set the lives of dozens civilians at risk and threatens to trigger a diplomatic incident between Lithuania and Belarus as well as with the NATO and the European Union.

A Ryanair flight #FR4978 from Athens to Vilnius, diverted to Minsk in Belarus earlier today.https://t.co/rnUpiqOjch

According to reports in media a Belarus journalist, that was onboard the flight, was arrested after the diversion to Minsk. pic.twitter.com/MQyvXsDExM

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) May 23, 2021

According to Lithuanian state broadcaster LRT, the Ryanair flight from Athens with 120 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, Lina Beišienė, 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 has not received any information about a bomb or any other details from Belarus, she added.

Lithuania’s ambassador to Greece was the frist to expressed his anger on Twitter and stressed the incident set the lives of dozens of civilians “in great danger.”

THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! An authoritarian regime of #Belarus forced the landing of a plane in #Minsk en route from #Athens, #Greece to #Vilnius, #Lithuania to arrest a political activist.
Just a week ago on the same #Ryanair flight was Ms. Tsikhanouskaya, leader of democratic Belarus

— Rolandas Kačinskas (@RKacinskas) May 23, 2021

However, Belarusian opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who is currently in exile in Vilnius, released a statement, saying that the flight was grounded in order to arrest Belarusian opposition activist and blogger Roman Pratasevich, the founder of the Nexta information channel on Telegram social network.

The regime forced the landing @Ryanair plane in Minsk to arrest journalist and activist Raman Pratasevich. He faces the death penalty in Belarus. We demand immediate release of Raman, @ICAO investigation, and sanctions against Belarus. pic.twitter.com/ondPBd0kU9

— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) May 23, 2021

According to Tikhanovskaya’s adviser Franak Viachorka, Belarus used a fighter jet in order to ground the Vilnius-bound plane.

“This is a shock, horror. The plane from Athens to Vilnius was hijacked with an MiG-29 fighter,” he told BNS, confirming that Pratasevich has been arrested.

BREAKING! The regime landed @Ryanair plane, which was flying from Athens to Vilnius,in order to arrest the famous Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich. In Belarus, he faces the death penalty. Belarus has seized a plane,put passengers in danger, in order to repress an opponent pic.twitter.com/TEv22to5XM

— Franak Viačorka (@franakviacorka) May 23, 2021

“They scrambled a military fighter jet MiG-29, the Blearusian dispatcher instructed the plane to change course and fly to Minsk Airport, purportedly due to some threat of explosives. Then they conducted a repeated security check of passengers, inspected the aircraft and, as the passengers were disembarking from the plane, Pratasevich was detained,” Viachorka is quoted by BNS.

“They hijacked the plane like Somali pirates,” he added.

Regarding the question how the Belarus authorities knew Pratasevic was onboard of the flight, Viachorka posted that Pratasevich’s surveillance took place already at the airport in Athens.

Raman Pratasevich noticed the surveillance at the airport of Athens. In his messages, he wrote that a man next to him in line at the border control tried to take pictures of his documents and then just left.

— Franak Viačorka (@franakviacorka) May 23, 2021

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called the report about the flight “disconcerting”.

“Disconcerting news about the forced landing of an international flight from Athens to Vilnius in Minsk. We are working with international partners to ensure the safe return of passengers to Vilnius,” he posted on Facebook.

Linas Linkevičius, a diplomat and Lithuania’s former foreign minister, called the incident “reckless and lawless” operation by the Belarusian special service”. “One can’t use airspace controlled by regime criminals,” he tweeted.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said on Sunday that Pratasevich had asylum in Lithuania and demanded that he be immediately released. He said he is “calling on our NATO and EU allies to react to the threat that the Belarusian regime poses to international civil aviation.”

He stressed that he will raise the issue at the EU Council on Monday in Brussels.

Meanwhile, Europe has been set on alert.

It is utterly unacceptable to force @Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius to land in Minsk.

ALL passengers must be able to continue their travel to Vilnius immediately and their safety ensured.

Any violation of international air transport rules must bear consequences.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 23, 2021

Lukashenko has become a threat not only to his own citizens but also to international security. His act of state terrorism demands an immediate and tough reaction of all European governments and institutions.

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtuskEPP) May 23, 2021

Le régime biélorusse a littéralement détourné un avion volant d’Athènes à Vilnius, deux capitales de l’UE, pour s’emparer d’un journaliste, Roman Protasevich, qui risque désormais la peine de mort. C’est un fait sans précédent et une folie furieuse. L’Europe doit régir avec force https://t.co/sJWOIlIAnu

— Raphael Glucksmann (@rglucks1) May 23, 2021

Member of the European Parliament Raphael Glucksmans said that “The Belarusian regime literally hijacked a plane flying from Athens to Vilnius, two EU capitals, to seize a journalist, Roman Protasevich, who now faces the death penalty. It is an unprecedented fact and a furious madness. Europe must rule with force.”