European Central: A Rerouted Flight Brings Spotlight On Belarus
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On May 23rd, Roman Protasevich boarded a flight from Athens to Vilnius, but he would never reach his destination. The plane was rerouted to Minsk over a false bomb threat even though the aircraft was already near Vilnius. This has led to the incident being referred to as a hijacking of a flight that was supposed to go from one European Union capital to another. When the aircraft finally landed in Vilnius, Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend were not onboard. Instead, they were in custody in Belarus which is allegedly the reason for the aircraft being rerouted and the bomb threat was false. Also missing from the flight were KGB agents This incident has shined a spotlight on Belarus and the numerous political issues within the country. The arrest of Roman Protasevich has also made dissidents living in Lithuania, Poland, and other EU nations nervous that they are no longer safe from Lukashenko’s regime.
A video that has emerged of Roman Protasevich and was broadcasted on Belarusian state media has raised concerns that he has been abused. In the video, Petrasevich admits to organizing mass riots. He also states politics will not be a part of his future and instead he wants to have a family. He also says he respects Lukashenko and how he has not succumbed to public pressure. However, due to bruises on his face and neck, it is suspected that he was forced to apologize for alleged crimes. Family members feel that Roman only said these things because he was forced to by the authorities. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya stated these videos are commonly produced after people are tortured and that his confession should not be believed. The problem is, if Roman Protasevich is convicted, he can face 15 years of organizing mass protests. He is also considered a terrorist by Lukashenko’s regime. If convicted he can face the death penalty. Besides the signs of torture, there is concern over his wellbeing because it cannot be expected that he will receive a fair trial in Belarus.
The EU has swiftly acted by not allowing Belarusian airplanes to fly in European Union airspace. Planes from the European Union are also not allowed to fly over Belarus, impacting 400 daily flights. Russia, an ally of Belarus, reacted by not allowing planes from member states such as Germany and France to land in Russia, which resulted in these member states banned flights from Russia. The country is run by Alyaksandr Ryhoravich Lukashenka, the country’s first and only president since 1994. He is also known as the last dictator in Europe as he appears unwilling to give up power.
Protests in Belarus have been occurring since its election. Lukashenko claims he won another term after the election on August 9th, 2020. The controversy over the election results is that Lukashenko claimed he won 80 percent of the vote, while his main opponent, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, only won 10 percent. Many feel this is not possible and that the election was rigged. Lukashenko was sworn in for his sixth term in a secret ceremony that is normally public. 32,000 were arrested as a result of the protests. It is estimated that 50,000 in Minsk participated in protests alone. The size of protests has also been restricted due to shutting off mobile internet service near protest areas. The Interior Ministry of Belarus has threatened to use firearms against protestors, but people willing to risk their lives for democracy have continued to organize protests.
Before Tikhanovskaya would become Lukashenko’s main opponent, her husband was originally going to run for president. Two days after announcing his candidacy, he would be arrested. He is still in custody to this day. Consequentially, Lukashenko would create a fierce rival as Tikhanovskaya has been an outspoken critic in exile and has helped provide an insider’s perspective on Belarus.
Further demonstrating the terrible state of Belarusian institutions, a Belarusian activist stabbed himself in the throat in court with a pen in an attempt to commit suicide. Stepan Latypov was on trial for his involvement in protests against Lukashenko. Latypov helped organize a protest mural by his apartment building in protest of the election results. He attempted to resist the destruction of the mural and was consequently arrested. He attempted to kill himself in the courtroom after spending 51 days in a pressure chamber. Every pretrial detention center allegedly has one in violation of international law. Cells used for pressure chambers are 4 by 6 meters and are soundproof. If not soundproof, music is used to drown out the noise made by torture that takes place. The threat of being placed in a pressure chamber is often enough to force someone to confess to crimes they are accused of committing. Torture can also take place even before they are put in the pressure chamber in order to get a confession.
While it is not clear what percentage Tikhanovskaya truly received in the 2020 election, it is clear that Lukashenko will not give up control of Belarus easily after 27 years of power. Fortunately for the citizens of Belarus, Tikhanovskaya and brave activists are not giving up either. Understandably countries are generally hesitant to impede on the sovereignty of another nation, but Belarus has incentivized European nations to stand up for Roman Protasevich and investigate the current situation in Belarus.
