Post by Admin on May 24, 2021 20:11:15 GMT
Ryanair flight 4978 was about to begin its descent to Vilnius in Lithuania on Sunday when it suddenly changed direction after a "security alert," turning sharply east and descending towards the capital of Belarus, Minsk.
Whether that security alert was a fabrication by the Belarus authorities is now at the heart of an incident which has sparked widespread international condemnation and raised serious questions about safety in the skies. Some governments have described the incident as a state-sanctioned hijacking.
One of the passengers on board the Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius was Belarus opposition activist Raman Pratasevich, who is wanted on a variety of charges. For him the diversion was much more than an inconvenience. As soon as the plane landed, he was arrested, according to the Belarus Interior Ministry.
The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has been fending off opposition protests since claiming victory last year after a hotly-disputed election widely condemned by the international community.
Pratasevich is one of dozens of journalists and activists campaigning in exile against Lukashenko's 26-year rule. He is the founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, which helped mobilize anti-Lukashenko protests, and was charged last year with "organizing mass riots and group actions that grossly violate public order." He is on a government wanted list for terrorism.
Just why the plane suddenly changed course depends on whose account one believes. Ryanair says that its crew was "notified by Belarus ATC [air traffic control] of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk."
That's not how the Belarus authorities characterized the incident. The Deputy Commander of Air Defense Forces, Major-General Andrey Gurtsevich, claimed that after the Ryanair crew were told of a "possible bomb on board," it was the captain who "made a decision to land at the reserve airfield (Minsk-2)."
Gurtsevich said a Belarus Air Force MiG29 jet was dispatched to monitor the flight and "assist" if necessary.
The Belarus version of events has been met with widespread disbelief and condemnation among the international community, despite an elaborate show of fire trucks when the plane landed, as well as extensive baggage checks. Nothing untoward was found, according to Ryanair.
One reason for skepticism toward the Belarusian authorities' version: When it changed course, the Ryanair Boeing 737 -- with 171 people on board — was much closer to its destination than it was to Minsk. Had there been a bomb on board, to prolong the flight would have been a perverse decision.
The United States and European governments accused Belarus of engaging in an act of state terrorism after it forced a commercial jetliner on Sunday to make an emergency landing in Minsk and arrested an opposition blogger critical of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
The U.S. and the European Union called on Lukashenko’s government to immediately release Raman Pratasevich, a 26-year-old blogger who has been living in exile in Poland.
Ryanair Flight FR4978, originating in Athens, was diverted in Belarusian airspace about 10 kilometers from Vilnius, Lithuania — its planned destination — because of an alleged bomb threat.
On Monday, the airline called the incident “an act of aviation piracy” and said it is cooperating with investigations being conducted by European Union safety and security agencies and NATO.
In Washington, White House press secretary Jen Psaki described the Belarus government’s role as "shocking" and said the United States is demanding an international probe of the incident. Belarus is a former Soviet republic with close ties to the Russian government.
"It constitutes a brazen affront to international peace and security by the regime," Psaki said.
A United Nations spokesman said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres supports “a full, transparent and independent investigation into this disturbing incident.”
Whether that security alert was a fabrication by the Belarus authorities is now at the heart of an incident which has sparked widespread international condemnation and raised serious questions about safety in the skies. Some governments have described the incident as a state-sanctioned hijacking.
One of the passengers on board the Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius was Belarus opposition activist Raman Pratasevich, who is wanted on a variety of charges. For him the diversion was much more than an inconvenience. As soon as the plane landed, he was arrested, according to the Belarus Interior Ministry.
The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has been fending off opposition protests since claiming victory last year after a hotly-disputed election widely condemned by the international community.
Pratasevich is one of dozens of journalists and activists campaigning in exile against Lukashenko's 26-year rule. He is the founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, which helped mobilize anti-Lukashenko protests, and was charged last year with "organizing mass riots and group actions that grossly violate public order." He is on a government wanted list for terrorism.
Just why the plane suddenly changed course depends on whose account one believes. Ryanair says that its crew was "notified by Belarus ATC [air traffic control] of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk."
That's not how the Belarus authorities characterized the incident. The Deputy Commander of Air Defense Forces, Major-General Andrey Gurtsevich, claimed that after the Ryanair crew were told of a "possible bomb on board," it was the captain who "made a decision to land at the reserve airfield (Minsk-2)."
Gurtsevich said a Belarus Air Force MiG29 jet was dispatched to monitor the flight and "assist" if necessary.
The Belarus version of events has been met with widespread disbelief and condemnation among the international community, despite an elaborate show of fire trucks when the plane landed, as well as extensive baggage checks. Nothing untoward was found, according to Ryanair.
One reason for skepticism toward the Belarusian authorities' version: When it changed course, the Ryanair Boeing 737 -- with 171 people on board — was much closer to its destination than it was to Minsk. Had there been a bomb on board, to prolong the flight would have been a perverse decision.
The United States and European governments accused Belarus of engaging in an act of state terrorism after it forced a commercial jetliner on Sunday to make an emergency landing in Minsk and arrested an opposition blogger critical of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
The U.S. and the European Union called on Lukashenko’s government to immediately release Raman Pratasevich, a 26-year-old blogger who has been living in exile in Poland.
Ryanair Flight FR4978, originating in Athens, was diverted in Belarusian airspace about 10 kilometers from Vilnius, Lithuania — its planned destination — because of an alleged bomb threat.
On Monday, the airline called the incident “an act of aviation piracy” and said it is cooperating with investigations being conducted by European Union safety and security agencies and NATO.
In Washington, White House press secretary Jen Psaki described the Belarus government’s role as "shocking" and said the United States is demanding an international probe of the incident. Belarus is a former Soviet republic with close ties to the Russian government.
"It constitutes a brazen affront to international peace and security by the regime," Psaki said.
A United Nations spokesman said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres supports “a full, transparent and independent investigation into this disturbing incident.”