Many were shocked to hear about the Ryanair flight between Athens, Greece, and Vilnius, Lithuania, being forced to land in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. The details of what happened are astonishing. Belarus discovered that dissident journalist Roman Protasevich, known for his strong condemnation of the regime in Belarus, was on the flight. Reportedly, some Belarusian security officials were on the flight too – unbeknown to Protasevich.
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Belarusians living in Poland and Poles supporting them hold up a placard reading 'Free Roman Protasevich' during a demonstration in front of the European Commission office in Warsaw on May 24, 2021, demanding freedom for Belarus opposition activist Roman Protasevich a day after a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius carrying the dissident journalist was diverted while in Belarusian airspace. - The Belarus Interior Ministry said on May 24 that opposition activist Roman Protasevich, who was aboard the diverted Ryanair flight, is being held in the capital Minsk and dismissed unconfirmed reports that he was hospitalised. The passenger flight from Athens to Vilnius was diverted while in Belarusian airspace on May 23 over a supposed bomb threat, prompting a global outcry to Minsk's forced landing of the aircraft.
