Ryanair ‘hijacking’ news: Arrested journalist makes video statement as EU to sanction Belarus

Westminster foreign affairs committee chair Tom Tugendhat has called on Dominic Raab to “go one step further” in calling for the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and Yamal-Europe pipeline which flow through Belarus, “which is where the money comes from that supports this tyrannous regime”.

Mr Raab responded that the UK should seek to coordinate with its partners “to maximise our approach”, and promised to “consider and consult” with them on the question of Nord Stream 2.

“After yesterday’s act of modern piracy, it is clear that [president Alexander] Lukashenko must be recognised as an international threat – a danger not just to his own people, but to the citizens of other countries,” Labour’s Lisa Nandy has told the Commons.

The shadow foreign secretary warned that failing to bring “swift, robust and coordinated” consequences would “create an extraordinarily dangerous precedent that will put journalists, dissidents and activists from the UK or anywhere else at risk every time they board a plane”.

Noting that there are fewer Belarusian entities sanctioned now than there were in 2012, Ms Nandy urged the foreign secretary to bring forward sanctions against state-owned enterprises, “some of which continue to have UK subsidiaries”.

Speaking in the Commons, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy asked her opposite number, Dominic Raab:

• “What steps will he take to stop the Belarusian government using the London Stock Exchange to raise finance and sustain Lukashenko’s grip on power?
• “Will he ensure the UK is no longer a ‘soft touch’ for corrupt elites – from Belarus or elsewhere – seeking to store their funds and assets?
• “And finally, given the apparent presence of Belarusian KGB agents on the flight, can he tell us what assessment he’s made of the threat to Belarusians in exile and what can be done to disrupt any Belarusian agents that may be operating in the UK, Europe and in Nato-allied countries?”

On corruption, Mr Raab cited the extension of the Magnitsky sanctions regime “to cover corruption, and embezzlement and improprieties of that nature”, encouraging her to pass any evidence she has of individuals who should be designated to the government.

The European air traffic control agency Eurocontrol has said it is working to help airlines bypass Belarusian airspace if they wish, as EU leaders gathered to discuss air traffic restrictions on Belarus.

The agency said three EU airlines – Germany's Lufthansa, Poland's LOT and Latvia's airBaltic – operated 14 flights a week to Belarus and that it was expecting 64 flights operated by the Belarusian carrier Belavia in its airspace on Monday.

“Due to the closure of the eastern part of Ukrainian airspace, a number of EU airlines use the airspace of Belarus on their flights to Asia,” Eurocontrol told Reuters.

The agency said around 2,500 flights using EU airspace took off from, landed in or overflew Belarus in the week to May 19, some 419 of them operated by Belavia.

The Belarusian carrier currently operates flights to or from 21 EU cities, from Helsinki to Larnaca in Cyprus, it added.

Labour MP Chris Bryant has said there is “no doubt that Belarus is now a rogue state” following the arrest of a dissident journalist travelling onboard a Ryanair passenger jet.

“I have a terrible fear that every time we discuss these authoritarian regimes and we issue another statement we're basically throwing another snowball in a river,” Mr Bryant said.

“When are we actually going to take serious measures to make sure that these things do not go unpunished?”

In response to the Labour MP’s statement, foreign secretary Dominic Raab replied: “I wasn't sure the action that we could take that he thought we should take, but I'm open to all suggestions in a spirit of openness, and we need to marshal all of our resources.”

The Italian foreign ministry has summoned the Belarusian ambassador following the arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich.

In a statement, the ministry said the “kidnapping” of Mr Protasevich was an “unacceptable act, which constitutes a very serious violation of international aviation safety regulations and for which Belarus will be called to account”.

Foreign ministry undersecretary Benedetto Della Vedova told the ambassador that Mr Protasevich and his partner should be freed immediately.

“Italy will continue to spare no effort to obtain the immediate release of all political prisoners,” the statement said.

Foreign affairs committee chair Tom Tugendhat’s statement on the arrest of an opposition journalist by Belarus, describing the incident as “a hijacking that turned into a kidnapping”, can be found below:

Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy has shared a letter sent to Dominic Raab on how the UK should respond to the arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich by Belarus.

Ms Nandy has warned that Alexander Lukashenko’s government has set a “dangerous precedent” with the forced landing of a passenger jet to make the arrest.

She urged the UK government to bring forward sanctions against Belarusean state-owned enterprises, outline plans to stop the Belarusean government from using the London Stock Exchange, and examine the evidence for further sanctions against individuals supporting the regime.

You can find the letter in full below:

Lithuania’s president Gitanas Nauseda has outlined measures that he believes are “highly needed” against Belarus, including the closing of EU airspace to Belarus airlines, declaring the country’s airspace as unsafe for civilian planes and an expansion of existing sanctions.

“We need clear actions in order to change the pattern of behaviour of this very dangerous regime,” Mr Nauseda said before a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.

“All these measures are highly needed,” he added, noting that he would also raise the issue of Belarus' Astravets nuclear power plant as a "possible geopolitical weapon" against the EU.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said Belarus' action against journalist Roman Protasevich is “a shocking act”, adding that the United States would support an international probe of the incident.

“This was a shocking act of diverting a flight between two EU member states for the apparent purpose of arresting a journalist,” Ms Psaki said.

“It constitutes a brazen affront to international peace and security by the regime.”