Statement by ALDE Party acting co-Presidents Ilhan Kyuchyuk MEP and Senator Timmy Dooley 

We are horrified about the forced landing in Minsk of Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius.

The Lukashenko regime must immediately release all passengers, including the activist and journalist Roman Protasevich who is facing death sentence in Belarus.

This is unacceptable and against all European values and we call the Belarusian authorities to immediately release the flight and all its passengers.

The EU cannot allow an unlawful use of violence, kidnapping and intimidation against civilians in its own territory.

We demand a strong joint EU response now! As a starting point all EU planes should stop flying over Belarus until further notice and the Lukashenko regime must be held accountable and face the consequences of their actions. An ICAO investigation of the incident will be essential.

Sign our petition demanding severe EU action against Belarus!