US imposed sanctions on Belarus after diverting Ryanair plane Human Rights News

The White House is also calling for a “credible international investigation” into the forced landing of a Ryanair aircraft in Minsk.

The United States announced sanctions against Belarus as Russia offer President Alexander Lukashenko gave his support to the West for forcing a European plane to divert and arrest a dissident.

In one statement on Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the May 23 incident was a “straight face of international rules” and said Washington – in coordination with the European Union – was making a list of specific sanctions against key members of Lukashenko’s government.

It also announced the cancellation of the 2019 agreement that allowed U.S. and Belarusian carriers to use each other’s airspace and called for a “credible international investigation” into the forced landing of the Ryanair aircraft.

Belarusian authorities last week confiscated an aircraft carrier and said it was an alert for fake bombs to force the plane to land, and then arrested journalist Roman Protasevich.

A 26-year-old man has been arrested and charged with correcting the incident. This is linked to the historic protests against Lukashenko in August last year after the disputed elections.

Several people were killed in the unrest, thousands were arrested and hundreds reported torture in prison.

Protasevich – who worked for Poland-based Nexta Live, protested – could face up to 15 years in prison.

Many European nations have imposed flight bans on Belarusian airspace, and EU officials said the proposals are “on the table” to target key sectors of the Belarusian economy, such as oil products and the potash sector.

The White House warned Belarus not to “travel” by warning U.S. citizens and U.S. passenger planes to be “extremely cautious” if they plan to fly over Belarusian airspace.

“Explosion of Emotions”

Meanwhile, economic sanctions against nine Belarusian state-owned companies, which Washington re-established in April 3, will come into force.

In his statement, Psaki said more movements by the US in Belarus could also be “those that support corruption, human rights abuses and attacks on democracy.”

Prior to the US announcement, a completely different scene took place at the Black Sea Sochi station, where Russian President Vladimir Putin took Lukashenko for talks.

Putin said he was “very pleased” to see the Belarusian leader and agreed with him that the Western reaction had been an “emotional explosion”.

“At one time they were forced to land the plane of the Bolivian president and get off the plane and nothing, silence,” the Russian president said, citing the incident in 2013, when Evo Morales ’plane had to land in Austria at the same time. When the US was trying caught txistular Edward Snowden.

Lukashenko, meanwhile, complained that the West wants to spark unrest in his country by saying that “it is making an attempt to shake the ship to the level it was last August.”

The Belarusian leader, who arrived with a suitcase, told Putin that he would show him some secret documents about the Ryanair incident that would help him understand what really happened.

“There’s always someone who causes us problems. If you know about them, I’ll let you know, ”Lukashenko told Putin.

“I’ve brought some documents to help you understand what’s going on.”