Poland to charge three Belarusians for diverting Ryanair flight in 2021

6/9/2024 17:11

        Polish prosecutors have enough evidence to charge three Belarusian citizens over the forced landing in Minsk in 2021 of a civilian airliner carrying an opposition journalist, who was then arrested, Polish authorities said on Friday.
        
        In what some EU leaders at the time called a hijacking, the Ryanair flight from Athens to Lithuania was diverted to the capital of Belarus escorted by a MiG-29 fighter jet. On landing, dissident Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich and his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega were taken into custody.
        
        The plane was registered in Poland.
        
        In a statement, Polish prosecutors said they had decided to bring charges against three Belarusians they identified as: Leonid C., former director of the Belarusian air navigation agency; Yevgenia T., head of the air traffic control shift in Minsk; and Andrey AM, head of the KGB.
        
        They added, the charges relate to taking control of the Ryanair flight by providing the flight crew with false information about an alleged explosive device on board the aircraft.