MrSocial News [Admin]
May 24, 20212 min
Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:
The situation here is simple. There is little doubt that the Belarusian authorities used a false bomb threat and a MiG fighter jet to force an aeroplane flying from one country of the European Union to another to land with the apparent sole purpose of detaining an exiled critical journalist whom they badly wanted silenced.
While it sounds like an extraordinary Hollywood plot, it’s not. The reality of this apparent act of air piracy is chilling. The European Union and the rest of the world must react without delay and call for the immediate release of Raman Pratasevich. He should be allowed to leave Belarus and travel to the country of his choice.
Background
Last year, NEXTA and its sister channels were declared “extremist” and subsequently banned in Belarus by the country’s security services, as part of the authorities’ brutal crackdown on peaceful dissent in the country after the widely-disputed results of the 9 August presidential elections. Raman Pratasevich and his associate Stsyapan Putsila were arbitrarily added to Belarus's list of “individuals involved in terrorist activity.” The two were also charged with “incitement of mass riots”, “gross violation of public order” and “incitement od social hatred” against public officials and law enforcement agents. These crimes carry penalties of up to 15 years in prison.
Source- Amnesty International
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