Western Nations Condemn Belarus over 'Hijacking,' Arrest of Opposition Leader
2021-05-25
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1A passenger airplane heading to Lithuania from Greece landed briefly in Belarus on Sunday.
2While the plane was in Belarusian airspace, air traffic controllers told the pilot there was a bomb threat against the plane.
3They asked the pilot to change direction and land at the airport in Minsk.
4A military plane also flew next to the Ryanair airplane and guided it to the airport.
5On board was 26-year-old Raman Pratasevich.
6He is an activist and reporter who helped organize protests against Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
7Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend were taken off the plane in Minsk.
8Officials have not said where they are being held.
9No bomb was found and the plane was then permitted to continue on to Lithuania.
10Passengers told reporters after landing in Lithuania that Pratasevich knew he was the reason for the change of direction in Belarus.
11One passenger told the Reuters news agency that Pratasevich started giving away things like his computer as soon as the pilot told them the plane would land in Minsk.
12Michael O'Leary is the head of Ryanair which operated the air plane.
13 said he believed that Belarus security agents had been on the plane and followed Pratasevich from Athens, Greece.
14International reactions to the forced landing were strong and immediate.
15The U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the incident "shocking" and asked for Pratesevich's release.
16European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a "hijacking," and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda described the incident as a "state-sponsored terror act."
17The EU, which has tried to encourage democracy and attempted to reduce Russian influence in Belarus, is now considering even stronger measures.
18Some EU leaders called for banning Belarus' national airline or excluding the nation from sports events.
19EU members Latvia and Lithuania, along with Britain, went ahead with instructions for their airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace.
20Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov was the only voice supporting Belarus' action.
21He said the incident needs to be investigated with clear minds after some time passes.
22Alexander Lukashenko came to power in 1994 after the end of the old Soviet Union.
23In 2020, Lukashenko won another election but opposition groups said the vote was corrupt.
24Months of protests followed.
25More than 34,000 people have been arrested for expressing their views against Lukashenko.
26Pratasevich created a channel on the online messaging service Telegram and helped organize protests.
27Nearly 2 million people in the country of 9.3 million follow the channel.
28The Belarus government called the channel "extremist" and charged Pratasevich with inciting mass riots.
29He could face 15 years in prison if convicted of the charge.
30The rights group Amnesty International said the international community needs to make sure this method of silencing "dissenting voices is never repeated."
31I'm Dan Friedell.
1A passenger airplane heading to Lithuania from Greece landed briefly in Belarus on Sunday. 2While the plane was in Belarusian airspace, air traffic controllers told the pilot there was a bomb threat against the plane. They asked the pilot to change direction and land at the airport in Minsk. A military plane also flew next to the Ryanair airplane and guided it to the airport. 3On board was 26-year-old Raman Pratasevich. He is an activist and reporter who helped organize protests against Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. 4Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend were taken off the plane in Minsk. Officials have not said where they are being held. No bomb was found and the plane was then permitted to continue on to Lithuania. 5Passengers told reporters after landing in Lithuania that Pratasevich knew he was the reason for the change of direction in Belarus. One passenger told the Reuters news agency that Pratasevich started giving away things like his computer as soon as the pilot told them the plane would land in Minsk. 6Michael O'Leary is the head of Ryanair which operated the air plane. He said he believed that Belarus security agents had been on the plane and followed Pratasevich from Athens, Greece. 7International reactions 8International reactions to the forced landing were strong and immediate. 9The U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the incident "shocking" and asked for Pratesevich's release. 10European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a "hijacking," and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda described the incident as a "state-sponsored terror act." 11The EU, which has tried to encourage democracy and attempted to reduce Russian influence in Belarus, is now considering even stronger measures. Some EU leaders called for banning Belarus' national airline or excluding the nation from sports events. EU members Latvia and Lithuania, along with Britain, went ahead with instructions for their airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace. 12Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov was the only voice supporting Belarus' action. He said the incident needs to be investigated with clear minds after some time passes. 13Why did Belarus do it? 14Alexander Lukashenko came to power in 1994 after the end of the old Soviet Union. 15In 2020, Lukashenko won another election but opposition groups said the vote was corrupt. Months of protests followed. More than 34,000 people have been arrested for expressing their views against Lukashenko. 16Pratasevich created a channel on the online messaging service Telegram and helped organize protests. Nearly 2 million people in the country of 9.3 million follow the channel. The Belarus government called the channel "extremist" and charged Pratasevich with inciting mass riots. He could face 15 years in prison if convicted of the charge. 17The rights group Amnesty International said the international community needs to make sure this method of silencing "dissenting voices is never repeated." 18I'm Dan Friedell. 19Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reporting from The Associated Press and Reuters. Hai Do was the editor. 20What do you think the international community should do about Belarus's tactics? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 21__________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23sponsor -v. to take responsibility or to direct something 24channel -n. historically a television or radio station but in internet communication it can mean a system used for exchanging ideas or messages 25dissent -n. public disagreement with an official opinion, decision, or set of beliefs