Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has strongly condemned the arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich by authorities in Belarus.
She wrote on Twitter:
“The outrageous and illegal behaviour of the regime in Belarus will have consequences. Those responsible for the #Ryanair hijacking must be sanctioned. Journalist Roman Protasevich must be released immediately. EUCO will discuss tomorrow action to take”.
Protasevich was on a Ryanair flight to Lithuania which was forced to divert and land in Minsk in Belarus.
File photo of Ryanair aircraft