'A shameful assault on political dissent and press freedom': President Biden blasts Belarus for 'direct affront to international norms' after journalist is hauled off hijacked flight and makes confession 'under duress'
President Joe Biden on Monday said the forced diversion by Belarus of a commercial passenger jet so it could arrest an opposition journalist was 'a direct affront to international norms' and condemned the action as an 'outrageous incident.'
The president also said that a confession made by the journalist, Raman Pratasevich, on Belarusian state TV was done 'under duress.'
Biden made the statement - and joined calls for an international investigation - as the European Union imposed sanctions against Belarus, including banning its airlines from using the airspace and airports in the 27-nation bloc in reaction to Sunday's forced diversion of the Lithuania-bound Ryanair flight.
The flight had originated from Greece, but was forced to land in Minsk.
Biden in his statement also expressed outrage over a video statement from Pratasevich, who ran a popular messaging app that played a key role in helping organize massive protests against Belarus authoritarian leader President Alexander Lukashenko, that aired on Belarusian state television Monday night.
President Joe Biden (seen above at FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC on Monday) said the forced diversion by Belarus of a commercial passenger jet so it could arrest an opposition journalist was 'a direct affront to international norms' and condemned the action as an 'outrageous incident.'
Roman Protasevich, who was dragged off a Ryanair civilian airliner and arrested by the Belarusian regime, has said that he is 'confessing' to charges of organizing protests and cooperating with authorities in a video being circulated on state TV
In the video clip, Pratasevich, 26, said his treatment in custody was 'maximally correct and according to law.'
He added that he was giving evidence to investigators about organizing mass disturbances.
'This outrageous incident and the video Mr. Pratasevich appears to have made under duress are shameful assaults on both political dissent and the freedom of the press,' Biden said in a statement.
'The United States joins countries around the world in calling for his release, as well as for the release of the hundreds of political prisoners who are being unjustly detained by the Lukashenka regime.'
Separately, the White House said that national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday spoke with Belarus opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Sullivan told the opposition leader that the US 'in coordination with the EU and other allies and partners, will hold the Lukashenka regime to account.'
Biden in his statement also expressed outrage over a video statement from Pratasevich, who ran a popular messaging app that played a key role in helping organize massive protests against Belarus authoritarian leader President Alexander Lukashenko (pictured)
Opposition journalist Roman Protasevich, 26, (pictured after he was separated from other passengers) was hauled off the plane and arrested with his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega, 23, after the flight from Greece to Lithuania made the emergency landing in Minsk
Opposition journalist Roman Protasevich's girlfriend Sofia Sapega who was also detained
The airliner full of tourists made an emergency landing at Minsk Airport after being escorted by a MiG-29 fighter jet amid reports of a bomb on board
Ryanair flight FR4978 had been flying from Athens in Greece to Vilnius in Lithuania when it was escorted by a Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jet to Belarus amid fake reports of an IED on board. It was forced to make an emergency landing at Minsk Airport, where authorities arrested dissident journalist Roman Protasevich
Two US senators urged the Biden administration to prohibit US airlines from entering Belarus airspace because of the incident.
'We must protect innocent passengers from despotic regimes and stand in solidarity with dissidents who are being targeted,' Senators Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, and Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, said in a joint statement.
The US and the EU had already imposed sanctions against Belarusian officials amid months of protests, which were triggered by Lukashenko's reelection to a sixth term in an August 2020 vote that the opposition rejected as rigged.
More than 34,000 people have been arrested in Belarus since then, and thousands beaten.
'I applaud the courage and determination of Belarusians fighting for basic rights, including journalists like Raman Pratasevich and opposition leaders like Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski,' Biden said in a statement.
'The United States will continue to stand with the people of Belarus in their struggle.'
Pratasevich was a co-founder of the Telegram messaging app's Nexta channel, which played a prominent role in helping organize the anti-Lukashenko protests.
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