Following the detention of journalist Roman Protasevich on a Ryanair flight, Belarusian airlines would be barred from operating in EU airspace.
As part of a slew of EU sanctions against President Alexander Lukashenko's government, EU airlines will be requested to stop flying in Belarusian airspace.
Last night in Brussels, European leaders, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, met for an EU summit to address Mr. Protasevich's detention after his flight from Greece was diverted to Minsk, Belarus, amid reports of a bomb threat.
The EU leaders issued a statement condemning the "forced landing" of a Ryanair flight in Lithuania and the detention of Mr. Protasevich, a critic of Mr. Lukashenko.
The European Council requested that Mr. Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega be released immediately.
They also demanded that the International Civil Aviation Organization “immediately investigate” a “unprecedented and unacceptable” flight divert to Minsk.
The EU Council also decided to impose economic sanctions on Belarus and instructed the High Representative and the Commission to draft legislation as soon as possible.
They also urged all EU-based airlines to avoid flying over Belarus, and they decided to take steps to prevent Belarusian airlines from operating in the EU.
Following the unfair expulsion of Latvian diplomats from Belarus, the council expressed solidarity with Latvia.
Mr. Protasevich, a writer, appeared on the internet last night, pretending to be in good health and admitting to organizing mass demonstrations last year.
His supporters, on the other hand, quickly dismissed the remarks as made under duress.
“This is how Raman appears when he is under physical and moral duress. “I demand the immediate release of Raman and all political prisoners,” Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, a leader of the Belarusian opposition, wrote in English on Twitter, using the Belarusian spelling of his name.
Mr. Protasevich, who appeared on multiple Telegram messaging app networks with his hands tightly clasped in front of him, denied having heart problems and said he was in a pre-trial detention center in Minsk, as reported on social media.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya, on the other hand, has expressed concern for Mr. Protasevich's health and life after learning that he is in hospital with heart problems.
Last night, she told the Irish Independent that her team was working to verify the evidence, but she is concerned about his safety.
“We know how people in Belarusian jails are handled, but we really believe and know that his health and life are in jeopardy.” She said that she does not want to “imagine” the possibility of Mr. Protasevich's death.
Mr. Protasevich's mother said she would not be shocked if he was in the hospital because of heart problems, according to Belsat, a Belarusian independent television network.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya took the same Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius, where she is now exiled, only last week.
“Our next flight will be scheduled to avoid the Belarusian airspace.
“I am afraid of this war every day,” she said, “but we must be most afraid for those who are imprisoned in Belarus.”
Last night, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab reported that the Russian government was most likely involved in the forced landing.
