EU leaders agree ban on use of bloc's airspace by Belarusian airlines

Belarus police detain journalist Roman Protasevich (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, File)

European Union leaders have agreed a set of sanctions against Belarus, including a ban on the use of the 27-nation bloc’s air space and airports amid fury over the forced diversion of a passenger jet flying between two EU countries to arrest an opposition journalist.

After what EU leaders called a brazen “hijacking” of a Ryanair plane flying from Greece to Lithuania on Sunday, they demanded the immediate release of Roman Protasevich, a key critic of authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

The EU leaders also decided to sanction individual officials linked to the operation, and called on the International Civil Aviation Organisation to start an investigation into what they see as an unprecedented move and what some have called state terrorism.

They were particularly forceful in their condemnation of the move against the plane, which was flying between two member nations and was being operated by an airline based in Ireland, also a member.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin told RTÉ that the episode “reflects growing authoritarianism across the world”.

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said it amounted to a “hijacking”.

Czech prime minister Andrej Babis said, “the scandalous incident in Belarus shows signs of state terrorism and it’s unbelievable”.

The bloc summoned Belarus’s ambassador “to condemn the inadmissible step of the Belarusian authorities” and said in a statement the arrest was “another blatant attempt to silence all opposition voices in the country”.

Meanwhile, US president Joe Biden said the forced diversion was “a direct affront to international norms” and condemned the action as an “outrageous incident.” 

"The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms both the diversion of the plane and the subsequent removal and arrest of Mr Pratasevich," Mr Biden said in a statement.

US president Joe Biden said the forced diversion was “a direct affront to international norms” and condemned the action as an “outrageous incident.” 

"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."

Ryanair said Belarusian flight controllers told the crew there was a bomb threat against the plane as it was crossing the country’s air space and ordered it to land in the capital Minsk.

A Belarusian MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane – in a brazen show of force by Mr Lukashenko, who has ruled with an iron fist for more than a quarter of a century.

Mr Protasevich ran a popular messaging app that played a key role in helping organise massive protests against the authoritarian leader.

He and his Russian girlfriend were led off the plane shortly after landing – and authorities have not said where they were being held.

On Monday night, state television showed a brief video of Mr Protasevich in which he said he was giving evidence about organising mass disturbances to investigators.

Seated at a table with his hands folded in front of him and speaking rapidly, he said he was in satisfactory health and his treatment in custody was “maximally correct and according to law”.

The plane, which began its journey in Athens on Sunday was eventually allowed to continue on to Vilnius, Lithuania.