Belarus and Biden: “Shameful hijacking of the plane”

“A shameful incident and a direct insult to international standards.” President of the United States Joe Biden The Belarusian authorities condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the hijacking of a commercial plane from Athens-Vilnius two days ago and forced it to land in Minsk to arrest blogger and opposition activist Roman Bratasevic. Biden said in a statement, “I welcome the news that the European Union has called for targeted economic sanctions and other measures – and asked my team to find appropriate options” regarding those responsible for this incident “in close coordination with the European Union, other partners and allies, and international organizations.” .

“The shameful incident and the video that Pratasevic appears to have filmed under duress is an improper attack on political opposition and freedom of the press – Biden continues – the United States joins other countries in the world calling for his release, such as the hundreds of political prisoners unjustly detained by the Lukashenko regime.” The president then adds his voice to the many calls for “an international investigation to fully confirm the facts.” Finally, Biden repeats his applause for “the courage and determination of Belarusians fighting for basic rights, including Pratasevich and opposition leaders such as Svetlana Tikanovskaya and her husband Sari Tikhanovsky. The United States stands with the Belarusian people in their own right.

The United States calls for an “immediate, transparent and credible international investigation” into the landing of the plane bound for Lithuania in Minsk to allow the arrest of a dissident Belarusian journalist. “It was an appalling act,” said Joe Biden’s spokeswoman, Jane Saki. He continued, “This constitutes a blatant insult to international freedom, peace and security by the regime,” calling for an investigation into the incident. “We condemn the continuous attack by the Lukashenko regime and the arbitrary arrest of journalists simply for carrying out their work,” the spokeswoman added.