Official ICAO Investigation Request... Additional Sanctions Including EU Airspace Flight Ban Discussed
Biden "Belarus Insults International Law"... EU "Endangering European Lives"
KLM and Lufthansa Decide Not to Fly Over Belarus Airspace
At Minsk Airport, the capital of Belarus, on the 23rd (local time), airport staff conducted a search of the cargo of a Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS passenger plane with a sniffer dog. Minsk (Belarus) = EPA Photo
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Belarus, which drew international condemnation after forcibly landing a foreign-registered passenger plane en route to a neighboring country and arresting an anti-government activist on board, is expected to face sanctions. In particular, measures to ban Belarusian airlines from flying in European Union (EU) airspace are being considered, indicating that the aftermath of the incident is unlikely to subside easily.
According to The Guardian on the 24th (local time), the EU held an emergency meeting to respond to Belarus's forced landing of a foreign-registered passenger plane and decided to impose additional sanctions on Belarus.
EU Likely to Ban Belarusian Aircraft from Entering Regional Airspace
The EU defined the forced landing of the passenger plane as an act of "hijacking" by the Belarusian government and demanded the immediate release of Raman Pratasevich, the Belarusian anti-government activist arrested on site. It also officially requested the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to investigate the matter.
Earlier, on the 23rd, a Ryanair passenger plane registered in Ireland, flying from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania, was forcibly landed by Belarusian authorities at Minsk airport, the capital of Belarus, while passing through Belarusian airspace. The authorities explained that the reason for this action was a report of a suspected explosive device on board, and it is known that fighter jets were deployed to enforce the forced landing. Subsequently, local police arrested Pratasevich, an opposition activist on board.
An Irish airline Ryanair passenger plane heading to Vilnius, Lithuania, was forced to change its route to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, due to a forced landing order by the Belarusian government. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]
Ryanair stated that this forced landing incident was the first of its kind in European airline history and that it appears Belarusian intelligence agents were also on board the plane carrying Pratasevich.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, tweeted, "We will not let this matter pass," adding, "Heads of state will discuss additional sanctions." She said that broad sanctions would be imposed on individuals and entities involved in the forced landing incident, as well as supporters of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's regime.
Previously, the EU sanctioned over 60 government officials, including President Lukashenko, for the Belarusian government's harsh crackdown on large-scale anti-government protests last year.
Additionally, EU leaders plan to designate Belarusian airspace as a dangerous area and urge regional airlines not to fly through it. They also stated, "Necessary measures will be taken to ban Belarusian airlines from flying in EU airspace and accessing EU airports."
Biden: "Belarus Insults International Law"... EU Criticizes "Endangering European Lives"
The Belarusian government claims that the forced landing was due to a report that the Palestinian militant group Hamas had planted a bomb on board. However, as no concrete evidence has been presented to support this claim, the international community criticizes it as a false pretext to conceal the intention to arrest Pratasevich. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Belarus's accusation against Hamas is "completely unfounded."
Critical voices against Belarus are spreading worldwide. U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement, "Belarus's forced landing and the arrest of Raman Pratasevich are a direct insult to international conventions," adding, "The United States condemns this incident in the strongest terms."
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab criticized in Parliament, "Belarus's actions are extremely dangerous and reckless," calling them "a blatant violation of international law." Charles Michel, President of the European Council, also referred to the incident as an "international scandal" and condemned it, saying it "put European lives at risk."
Germany's Lufthansa to Avoid Belarusian Airspace... Latvia Expels All Belarusian Diplomats
Dutch airline KLM and German airline Lufthansa announced that they would not operate flights through Belarusian airspace. The French Ministry of Transport urged its national airlines not to fly over Belarus. Additionally, Latvia and Belarus mutually expelled all diplomats, and the Ukrainian government suspended all civilian air routes with Belarus, escalating tensions between Belarus and European countries over the incident.
There are also suspicions of Russian government cooperation in the incident. Foreign Secretary Raab said, "It is too early to draw conclusions," but added, "It is hard to believe this incident occurred without the knowledge of the Russian government."
Meanwhile, after Raman Pratasevich was detained by Belarusian authorities, concerns about his health arose. On the 24th, local police released a video showing him saying, "My health is fine. The police are treating me properly."
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