A @Ryanair flight to Lithuania was forced to land in Belarus and local authorities arrested journalist Roman Protasevich who was on board the flight. The journalist was critical of Belarusian President Lukashenko. dw.com/en/belarus-div…
Opposition figures swiftly criticized the move, which they said was a bid by the government of longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko to clamp down on critical voices.
Lithuania has demanded that NATO and the European Union act to resolve the situation, calling it a "threat to international civil aviation."
The Belta news agency reported that the plane had been rerouted to Minsk International Airport for an emergency landing due to a bomb scare.
An airport spokesperson told the agency that although authorities did not find any explosive devices on the plane, it was unclear when it would be allowed to take off again.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
