Following the flight diversion by the Belarusian President, Belarus’ exiled opposition leader vowed to persist fighting the country’s authoritarian regime.
Many Belarusians have fled to Ukraine due to what they say are crackdown on freedom of expression by the Belarusian authoritarian government.
Today, about 100 of them rallied in Kiev to denounce Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, whose repression of opposition intensified after massive anti-government protests. Protesters alleged Lukashenko got a sixth term of office by way of a sham election in August last year.
A protester said “A North Korea is being built step by step” in Belarus, as some other Belarusians who fled Belarus criticised Lukashenko for being a liar, and a hypocrite, because they say he tried to arrest all opposition figures in one way or another.
The diversion of the Ryanair flight and the arrest of 26-year-old dissident journalist, Roman Protasevich, and his girlfriend last Sunday now has Western countries furious, as Lukashenko ordered a fighter jet accompany the Ryanair airplane after the flight’s pilot was asked to divert his plane to Minsk because of a bomb threat while en route from Athens to Vilnius.
Western nations have agreed to impose serious sanctions against the authoritarian President aimed at hitting Lukashenko where it hurts.
The European Union has banned flights from Belarus in response.
The demonstrations on Saturday also marked the one-year anniversary of the arrest of the exiled Belarusian opposition leader’s husband, Syarhey Tsikhanousky, a popular blogger and activist who had planned to challenge Lukashenko in last year’s election, but was arrested after a scuffle at a campaign rally.
And in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, several dozen people made a small show of defiance Saturday by marching down a main street carrying opposition banners.
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