On Monday, the EU (European Union) has decided to put sanctions on Belarus that includes restrictions on its airlines using the airports and airspace of the twenty-seven nation’s coalition. The action came as a reaction to a forced diversion of a passenger flight to detention an opposition reporter.
Responding to what European Union top leaders called a solid hijacking of the Ryanair airlines going from Greece to Lithuania on Monday, the EU leaders even required an abrupt release of Raman Pratasevich (the journalist), the main enemy of authoritarian Alexander Lukashenko (Belarusian President).
Charles Michel (the EU Council Chief), who chaired the European Union summit, explained that they will not bear that one can try to play Russian roulette with the lives of innocent citizens.
Pratasevich’s footage released on Belarusian media
A detailed footage of Pratasevich, who operated a well-known messaging application that had played an important role in assisting in directing massive protests against Lukashenko, was played on Belarusian state media Monday, a day ahead when he was taken into custody from the aircraft.
Source: Web
Pratsevich, while sitting on a bench with folded hands and talking swiftly, described that he was in good health and further explained that his treatment in custody was extremely correct and according to the constitution. He continued that he was offering evidence to detectives about managing huge conflicts.
The European Leaders, in their uncommonly quick move in Brussels, also stressed all European Union based aircraft to not flying over the country Belarus, agreed to put sanctions on regulators connected to the flight of Sunday and emphasized the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) to initiate an inquiry into what the EU leaders observed as an unprecedented action. Some described it as state terrorism.
They also called on their council to implement the crucial guidelines to restrict overflight of European Union air by Belarusian air flights and restrict them to European Union airports handled by such airline firms. Furthermore, they have directed to release Raman Pratasevich and stressed authorities in Minsk to release Sofia Sapega (his girlfriend), who was taken into custody with him.
According to the website Flightradar24, at least one airline of Europe had already diverted an aircraft around Belarus. Moreover, British Airways aircraft 3599, which crossed Belarus on Saturday and Sunday, avoided the country Monday through Russian airspace.
