Thread by @ThomasVLinge

So a Belarusian journalist who was travelling between two #EU 🇪🇺 destinations is now back in #Belarus against his own will after KGB operatives basically hijacked the plane and forced it to land.

This is not just a grave violation of human rights, it is also an act of aggression against the European Union. They hijacked a plane full of EU citizens and forced it to land in another country, against the will of everyone on board

All of this was planned in advance. KGB operatives knew Roman Protasevich was going to be on a flight that would go through Belarusian airspace. they've probably waited months for this opportunity

Roman Protasevich is now back in #Belarus, the country where he is facing the death penalty.

Roman is the founder of @nexta_tv, a free and independent news channel which provided vital coverage during last year's uprising. This is why #Lukashenko has made him a target.

#Belarus: Roman has been taken away but the @Ryanair flight is still on the ground in #Minsk. Some passengers were forced to disembark and have their baggage checked by the border police of a country they didn't even intend to enter in the first place.

Can you imagine? They hijack your plane by starting a fight and faking a bomb threat. They force your plane to land in authoritarian state. And when you're there they treat YOU as the potential terrorist, letting bomb sniffing dogs go through your baggage.

Welcome to #Belarus

cc @swsjoerdsma @KatiPiri

#Belarus: footage of the MiG-29 fighter jet which intercepted the @Ryanair flight near the Lithuanian border and forced it to divert to #Minsk

#Belarus: latest photos of the @Ryanair flight #FR4978 which as of this moment is still in #Minsk with all 171 passengers (most of them EU citizens) unable to leave.

#Belarus: footage has emerged from inside @Ryanair #FR4978 as it was hijacked and grounded in #Minsk

If these numbers are correct than that would mean the KGB operatives who were reported to be on #FR4978 are not #Belarus nationals but Russians.

This would heavily imply the #Kremlin playing a role in the hijacking

#Belarus: insta-stories by one of the passengers on board #FR4978.

Protasevich apparently begged the @Ryanair crew not to hand him over. They told him "we have no choice, it's in Ryanair legal agreements"

Here we go again

#Belarus: the government of #Ukraine 🇺🇦 is ready to join the #EU 🇪🇺 in closing the Belarusian airspace to flights in/out of the country

#Belarus: the regime has released a video of #RomanProtasevich in which he denies any reports of him being in the hospital and states he is being treated well.

The bruises on his face say otherwise