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Science | Geography | Citizenship

Outrage as Belarus accused of hijacking plane

Was the Ryanair hijacking an act of war? Today world leaders are discussing how to respond to the shock grounding of a passenger flight on the orders of the Belarusian president. When we are flying, it can feel as if we have left all the world’s problems far below us. Looking down from 30,000 feet, it seems there is no such thing as conflict, states or borders. But every so often, something happens to remind us that even up in the sky, we are still vulnerable to politics. In 2014, it was the shooting down of Flight MH17 over Ukraine, killing everyone on board. In January last year, Iran shot down a passenger plane during tensions with the USA. And on Sunday, another reminder came when President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus forcibly rerouted a flight heading for Vilnius to the Belarusian capital of Minsk. On the plane was journalist Roman Protasevich, who was instrumental in organising the protests against Lukashenko during presidential elections last year. Since then, he has been living in exile in Lithuania. The plane, with its more than 120 passengers, was held for seven hours before it was allowed to continue to Vilnius – minus Protasevich, who had been abducted from the plane and taken into custody. He faces charges of inciting hatred and mass disorder, which could carry a sentence of up to 12 years in prison. Some suggest he might even face the death penalty. The move sparked outrage amongst Western leaders, who met yesterday to coordinate their response. It is the first time any government has forced a civilian flight to land for political reasons. And since Lithuania is a Nato member, the repercussions could be wide-ranging. Some say the grounding of the plane is tantamount to an act of war. They point out that if states can reroute flights and effectively detain their passengers for several hours, then no one can fly safely anymore. More seriously still, as a pretext for grounding the plane, the Belarusian government falsely claimed that there was a bomb on board. This sets a dangerous precedent. If pilots cannot trust governments to be truthful when issuing warnings like this, they may end up ignoring real future threats, putting their passengers in danger. Critics of Lukashenko’s actions want Western countries to create a no-fly zone over Belarus. That would mean no aeroplanes could enter or leave the country, or even fly over it. Yesterday afternoon, the UK and other European countries instructed airlines not to fly over Belarus. But others think Western states are being hypocritical. They have their own track record of grounding flights to capture political dissidents. In 2013, Bolivian president Evo Morales was flying from Russia when France, Spain, Portugal and Italy suddenly denied his plane access to their airspace, claiming that it was carrying US whistleblower Edward Snowden. Morales was forced to land in Vienna, where his plane was searched. Yet the USA and its allies did not face any punishment for doing this. Was the Ryanair hijacking an act of war? War and peace Yes, say some. International flights can only be kept safe if every country agrees to abide by certain rules. Belarus’s actions have put flight passengers all over the world in grave danger, setting a precedent that planes can be meddled with for entirely political reasons. The country has likely breached international law, and it has certainly struck at the very heart of the global order. Not at all, say others. Belarus has been rocked with protests for months, and for a time it seemed like the government was bound to collapse. This was not a daring act of aggression against the West: it was the desperate act of a regime that knows just how unstable it is, propped up by another regime in Russia that can also feel its time running out. KeywordsEdward Snowden - Known for leaking classified information from the USA's National Security Agency in 2013. He moved to Russia to avoid arrest.

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