Commenting on the recent ‘hijacking’ of Ryanair Flight FR4978, Elena Korosteleva, Professor of International Politics in the School of Politics and International Relations, said:
‘On 23 May 2021, a Ryanair plane flying from Greece to Lithuania carrying 171 civilian passengers, was forced to make an emergency landing at the Minsk airport, under the escort of a MiG-19 fighter, on the order of Belarusian authorities, under the pretext of a bomb threat.
‘On board was Roman Protasevich, a political activist and a founder of NEXTA, a popular telegram news channel, hosting over 3 million subscribers. NEXTA has been instrumental in orchestrating popular protests in Belarus, since the disputed presidential election in August 2020. Roman, 26, a Lithuanian resident, was wanted for his alleged crimes against the state and has been charged with terrorism in absentia.
‘Belarus has a history of civilian aviation incidences. In 1995, they shot down a balloon passing over its airspace killing two American balloonists and last year the government used a Hind attack helicopter gunship to shoot down a weather balloon carrying opposition flags and messages. The Ryanair pilot had no option but to land in Minsk, which in essence, allowed the authorities to use a form of extraordinary rendition, to seize Roman Protasevich. Given Lukashenko’s treatment of his own people and utter disregard for human life, if the pilots had not acted and followed the instructions, the plane may well have been shot down.
‘President Lukashenko shows no regard for international law or norms and values; and whereas previously he has kept domestic issues within the border of the country, he is now lashing out internationally. Belarus’ recent entry to Eurovision was banned for derogatory lyrics aimed at the opposition and politicization of the competition. With this incident, Belarus could legitimately be classed as a rogue state, as since August 2020 over 30000 people have been interned in what might be considered concentration camps. These would be the first of their kind in Europe since the war in the Balkans in the 1990s and the first in eastern Europe since World War Two.
‘This was a demonstration of power and control by Lukashenko and, emboldened by Russia’s President Putin, a direct challenge to the West over their alleged meddling in Belarus’ internal affairs.
‘To quote Tom Tugendhat, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee: “if we fail to act now, we will act to fail”. This means it is important to go beyond declarations, and for more coordinated response to stop Lukashenko’s illegal actions. I would expect an immediate cessation of international flights over Belarus, and a further round of sanctions to be applied, hopefully, targeting the sponsors of Lukashenko’s regime directly.’
Professor Elena Korosteleva, Professor of International Politics
School of Politics and International Relations
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