Western powers are poised to impose sanctions on Belarus and cut off their airstrips on Monday, angry after they attacked a Ryanair airstrip and arrested an opposition journalist, an act that another official described as a 'state crime'.
In a video posted online, the arrested blogger, Roman Protasevich, 26, said he was in good health, was being held in a Minsk detention center, and admitted that he had played a role in organizing mass protests in the capital last year.
In this video on the Telegram messaging app, she was wearing a black T-shirt and folded her arms tightly in front of her. The comments were immediately dismissed by his colleagues, including his father, as they had been under pressure.
Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski told a private broadcaster, TVN24, that his government had heard from Protasevich's mother about his condition, but did not give any details.
The Belarussian Ministry of Interior said Protasevich had been detained and had not complained about the illness.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday criticized Belarus for its actions and said he had asked his advisers to give him ways to catch those responsible for responding.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, while calling Monday with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, said the United States "strongly supports the needs of the people of Belarus for freedom, human rights," the White House said. .
European Union leaders gathered in Brussels called for Belarus' flights to be banned from the 27-nation bloc and urged EU carriers to refrain from flying over the former Soviet republic, according to a joint statement.
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They also agreed to expand the list of Belarusians already authorized and called on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to urgently investigate Belarus forcing a Ryanair flight to Minsk by a Greek-Lithuanian plane on Sunday.
"The response must be immediate and complex," Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo told reporters ahead of the EU summit.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, using language echoed by many other EU countries, said: "This was a plane crash, funded by the state."
The EU and other Western countries have also called for the release of Protasevich, who was arrested during the flight.
His food on social media from exile has been one of the last independent news outlets about Belarus since the massacre of dissidents last year. Sofia Sapega, a 23-year-old fellow student, was also arrested.
OPTIONS APPEAR IN LIMITATION
Some airlines and countries did not wait to be guided on how to respond to the Ryanair deflection.
Britain has said it is urging British airlines to suspend flights over Belarus and to suspend the Belarussian airline's official approval of Belarus as soon as possible. KLM, the Dutch arm of Air France KLM (AIRF.PA), will suspend flights, the ANP reported.
However, Western retaliatory options seem to be limited.
The Montreal-based ICAO has no control over it, and the EU does not have the authority to land Belarus or fly to the airport, other than direct flights from or to Europe.
Belarus is on the runway in Europe and between Europe and Asia, and crossing Belarus can reduce flights and cost flights.
The EU and the United States imposed financial sanctions on Minsk last year, which did not affect the conduct of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who opposed massive protests against his regime in the run-up to the by-elections.
Lukashenko denies electoral fraud. Since the election, the authorities have mobilized thousands of opponents, and all major opposition groups have now been arrested or deported.
'Bomb Threat'
NEXTA, the news service where Protasevich worked before setting up his own popular blog, had an interview with his mother, who, as soon as she heard reports of a plane crash, knew it was a ploy to seize him.
"I just want to say that my son is just a hero, just a hero," said Natalia Protasevich, weeping. "I hope the international community will revolt against him."
His father, Dzmitry Protasevich, said in an interview with Reuters: "This is complete nonsense, happening."
Belarus says it has taken action in response to a false bomb threat posed by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum denied that his party had any information on the matter.
Belarus said its international authorities had provided guidance on the flight but did not instruct it to land. State media reported that the intervention was ordered by Lukashenko himself.
Ryanair (RYA.I) manager Michael O'Leary, who described the incident as a government-sponsored hijacking, said he believed security was on board.
Lithuanian authorities say five passengers have not arrived, suggesting that three others besides the detainees Protasevich and Sapega have landed in Minsk.
Russia, which has provided Lukashenko with security, political and financial services, has accused the West of hypocrisy.
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