Mum of journalist taken from ‘hijacked’ Ryanair flight ‘begging whole world to save him’ – World News
The mum of detained dissident journalist Roman Protasevich has called on the international community to save him.
The Lithuania-based blogger and his female companion, Sofia Sapega, were both taken into custody after Belarus scrambled a warplane to intercept a Ryanair aircraft flying from Athens to Vilnius.
It was diverted to Minsk on Sunday in an action condemned by the European Union and the US.
Appearing on several channels of the Telegram messaging app on Monday, Mr Protasevich, 26, acknowledged playing a role in organising mass disturbances in Minsk last year.
But to his dad, Dzmitry Protasevich, the video appeared to be a result of coercion.
Breaking down in tears today, mum Natalia Protasevich said: “Please save him. They’re going to kill him in there.”
(Image: VIA REUTERS)
In an interview with AFP, the 26-year-old’s mum said she has not slept in days and she ‘grips her phone tightly, hoping for any news’ of her son.
She said: “I’m asking, I’m begging, I’m calling on the whole international community to save him.
“He’s only one journalist, he’s only one child but please, please. I am begging for help. Please save him. They’re going to kill him in there.”
Earlier his dad questioned the released video of his son which he said was a result of coercion.
Dzmitry Protasevich said: “It’s likely his nose is broken, because the shape of it has changed and there’s a lot of powder on it.
“All of the left side of his face has powder,” he told Reuters in an interview in Russian on Monday from Wroclaw, Poland, where he and his wife live.
“It’s not his words, it’s not his intonation of speech. He is acting very reserved and you can see he is nervous.”
Belarus’ Interior Ministry said Mr Protasevich was being held in jail and had not complained of ill health.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
(Image: ONLINER.BY/AFP via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, airlines re-routed flights to avoid Belarus’s airspace on Tuesday and Belarusian planes faced a possible ban from Europe, as international outrage mounted over the incident.
Western nations accused Belarus of hijacking and piracy over the interception of the Ryanair plane as it crossed the country on a flight from Greece to Lithuania.
Diplomats said France, Ireland and Estonia would raise the incident at a private meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday.
The White House said President Joe Biden would discuss the incident with Russian President Vladimir Putin at their summit next month, but added the United States did not believe Moscow had played any role in it.
