He said he would demand new sanctions against Belarus at a European Council meeting scheduled for Monday. Protasevich was flying on an intra-EU flight from Athens to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, when the plane was diverted to Minsk. According to online flight data, the plane was over Belarusian airspace when it diverted course but was closer to Vilnius than Minsk. “The regime forced the landing @Ryanair plane in Minsk to arrest journalist and activist Raman Pratasevich. International reaction needed!”In a statement sent to the Guardian, Ryanair said it had been ordered to divert the flight to Minsk by Belarusian air-traffic controllers.

Source: The Guardian May 23, 2021 15:14 UTC