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The Ryanair plane carrying Belarus opposition figure Raman Pratasevich which was traveling from Athens to Vilnius and was diverted to Minsk after a bomb threat. AP/PA Images

EU leaders agree range of sanctions on Belarus over arrest of journalist, including air space ban for Belarusian flights

The sanctions were agreed at an EU meeting in Brussels this evening.

THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL has proposed an air traffic ban on Belarus amid outrage over the arrest of opposition journalist Roman Protasevich, after a Ryanair flight he was travelling on was forced to make an emergency landing in Minsk.

The ban will prevent Belarusian airlines from flying in the airspace of the 27 EU member states and prevent them from landing at airports in the EU. The union is also calling on all EU-based carriers to avoid flying over the eastern European country.

It was among a range of sanctions, including economic penalties, that were agreed at a European Council meeting in Brussels this evening, which was planned prior to yesterday’s incident.

The 27 EU leaders demanded an immediate release of Protasevich and called on the United Nations’ aviation agency – the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) – to conduct an investigation.

Earlier this evening, the ICAO called an urgent council meeting to discuss the incident. The meeting is set to take place on Thursday.

The European Council also expressed its solidarity with Latvia following the expulsion of Latvian diplomats, a move it branded as “unjustified”.

European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen said earlier that the sanctions would cover individuals involved in the hijacking, businesses that finance the regime of president Alexander Lukashenko and the Belarussian aviation sector.

“We will put pressure on the regime until it finally respects the freedom of media, the freedom of press and the freedom of opinion,” Von Der Leyen said.

The commission president added that a €3 billion EU investment package for Belarus will be frozen until the country becomes democratic.

Earlier today, Belarus defiantly defended its forced diversion of the Ryanair plane carrying the 26-year-old journalist and opposition activist, after the move provoked a global outcry.

The flight from Athens to Vilnius was diverted while in Belarusian airspace yesterday over a supposed bomb threat.

Accompanied by a Belarusian fighter jet, it landed in the capital Minsk where Protasevich, who had been living between Poland and Lithuania, was arrested along with his girlfriend.

Belarus claimed today that the threat came from the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Hamas rejected the claim.

Speaking in Brussels this afternoon, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Protasevich should be released. He said Ireland will be articulating its view at the meeting today, stating that he will be pushing “very strongly” for assurances of his well being.

A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” by the incident and called for a full investigation.

In a video circulated by Belarus state TV channels this evening, Protasevich said he is cooperating with authorities and “confessing” to charges of organising protests 

“I can say that I have no health problems… I continue cooperating with investigators and am confessing to having organised mass unrest in the city of Minsk,” he said in the video.

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    Mute Michael Kavanagh
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    Jun 25th 2019, 1:31 PM

    I suggest that the recipients of such creatures be tightly parcel-wrapped and dispatched by post to the senders.

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    Mute Arya
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    Jun 25th 2019, 1:54 PM

    @Michael Kavanagh: hahahahhahahah. Gosh! you have such an imagination. Thank you for making me laugh so loud.

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    Mute M
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    Jun 25th 2019, 3:16 PM

    @Arya: it’s not that funny. I’m funnier.

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    Mute Rob
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    Jun 25th 2019, 1:50 PM

    A license should be a requirement for owning any pet.

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    Mute M
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    Jun 25th 2019, 3:18 PM

    @Rob: don’t be daft.

    Goldfish? Hamster?

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    Mute Rachel O' Meara
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    Jun 25th 2019, 2:31 PM

    Another reptile owner bashing article, they normally post one or two a year this year they seem to be constantly posting about the people that give the rest of us a bad name and portraying it as the norm. It’s not normal for someone to mistreat ANY animal, those who do should feel the full weight of the law. Reptiles are awesome and make great pets If you know how to take care of them, otherwise it’s just like buying a puppy and putting it in the back garden and leaving it there all day without walks, attention or even basic care.

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    Mute RJ.Fallon
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    Jun 25th 2019, 3:09 PM

    @Rachel O’ Meara: Just trying to picture strolling around my garden with a salamander or a toad on a lead.

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    Mute M
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    Jun 25th 2019, 3:17 PM

    @Rachel O’ Meara: true. A lot of understandable ignorance.

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    Mute Danny O' Mahony
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    Jun 25th 2019, 1:19 PM

    They should be frogmarched back to Rosslare

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    Mute Sirius
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    Jun 25th 2019, 9:17 PM

    People seem to equate these exotic pets with cats and dogs – sure cats and dogs used to be wild but we domesticated them – that happened over thousands of years, with animals that were already comfortable with humans in the human world. It doesn’t matter if Justin Bieber has one and you’ve watched 100 YouTube videos, leave wild animals in the wild.

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    Mute Sean Ryan
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    Jun 25th 2019, 2:08 PM

    Can’t wait til the end of the world. Hope it’s soon.

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    Mute Sirius
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    Jun 25th 2019, 9:13 PM

    What tf is wrong with people?!

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    Mute Tommy the postman
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    Jun 25th 2019, 7:19 PM

    Reptiles r grand look at the ones we send over to Spain n mammy says my little Johnny would never do that

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    Mute William Tallon
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    Jun 25th 2019, 3:05 PM

    I toad ‘em we really don’t need any Mo Salamander stories during the off season but would they listen…

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    Mute Means of escape
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    Jun 25th 2019, 6:06 PM

    Ask the Aussies about their headaches with toads.
    Euthanize immediately .

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    Mute Leo Lalor
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    Jun 25th 2019, 3:01 PM

    Ireland of the welcomes.this is what open borders encourage. .

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    Mute Frank Discussion
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    Jun 25th 2019, 2:24 PM

    Bufo alvarius

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