G7 nations including Italy on Thursday issued a statement deploring the forced diversion by Belarus of a Ryanair flight last week, its grounding in Minsk and the arrest of two of its passengers - opposition journalist Raman Pratasevich and his girlfriend.
"We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union condemn in the strongest terms the unprecedented action by the Belarusian authorities in arresting independent journalist, Raman Pratasevich and his companion, Sofia Sopega, after forcing flight FR4978 on which they were travelling to land in Minsk on 23 May," read the statement.
Sunday's interception by Belarus fighter jets of the Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius endangered its passengers and was also "a serious attack on the rules governing civil aviation," the statement said, urging the International Civil Aviation Organisation to take action.
"This action also represents a serious attack on media freedom. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Raman Pratasevich, as well as all other journalists and political prisoners held in Belarus," the statement underlined
"We will enhance our efforts, including through further sanctions as appropriate, to promote accountability for the actions of the Belarusian authorities," the statement concluded.
The European Union has vowed to impose more economic sanctions after its ban on Belarus's national airline from Europe. Many European airlines are avoiding the Belarus's airspace.
