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May 24, 2021

Belarus Uses Fake Bomb Threat to Divert Plane and Arrest Journalist Critical of President
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International leaders are accusing Belarus of "state terrorism" and
"hijacking" after it ordered a commercial flight be diverted to Minsk,
using a fake bomb threat, so it could arrest a journalist critical of
President Alexander Lukashenko. The Ryanair jet had been flying from
Athens to Lithuania, where 26-year-old journalist Roman Protasevich has
been living. He ran social media for the outlet Nexta, which covered the
violent crackdown on anti-government protests in Belarus last year
following the highly contested reelection of Lukashenko. Belarusian
opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who also operates in exile
from Lithuania, spoke out against the arrest.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: "Today, Lukashenko personally caused an
international scandal, used military aircraft against civilians in
Belarus and European countries to reprise a single person. No one else
is safe. Anyone can be in Roman Protasevich's place."



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