New York court charges Belarus officials for diverting a plane to arrest a dissident journalist

The New York judge has accused Belarusian officials of diverting a Ryanair plane flying between Athens and Vilnius to Minsk to arrest a dissident journalist who was on board.

“Since the inception of motorized flights, countries around the world have worked together to keep airplane passengers safe. The accused have broken these standards by diverting an airplane for the indecent purpose of persecuting a dissident and freedom of expression,” it said. . a statement from prosecutor Damian Williams.

Belarussian authorities diverted the flight, claiming to have received a bomb alert, but the episode ended with the arrest of a dissident journalist Román Protasevich.