Belarus condemned for ‘attack on democracy’

OTTAWA • The G7 says it will ramp up its efforts to hold Belarus accountable for arresting a dissident journalist on board an intercepted jetliner.

In a statement Thursday, the countries’ foreign ministers along with a European Union representative said they will impose “further sanctions as appropriate,” condemning the act as an attack on press freedom and civil aviation rules.

The EU has already moved to ban Belarusian airlines from its skies, advised EU carriers to steer clear of flights over Belarus and pledged further economic sanctions.

On Sunday, Belarusian air traffic controllers diverted a Ryanair flight between Greece and Lithuania to Belarus’s capital, Minsk, claiming there was a bomb threat. On the ground, authorities detained journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, who both later appeared in videos under apparent duress.

The G7 is calling for immediate action from the International Civil Aviation Organization council, which convened an urgent meeting Thursday.

Transport Canada said in a statement it has issued an “airspace security warning ... in response to unusual excessive measures by Belarus,” advising airlines against flying over the country.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Joe Biden in calling the brazen act “an attack on democracy” and freedom of the press.

The same day, the Belarusian Embassy in Ottawa announced it will shut its doors, stating in a website post that activity will be suspended as of Sept. 1.

The statement made no reference to international outrage over Sunday’s incident.

Canada announced sanctions against 55 Belarusian officials last year after an election that Global Affairs Canada said was “marred by widespread irregularities” amid a “systemic campaign of repression” and human rights violations under

President Alexander Lukashenko, who has served in the office since its creation in 1994.

He was sworn in for a sixth term after a landslide election victory last August that sparked countrywide protests and global backlash over a vote that was widely seen as fraudulent.

Protasevich, 26, is part of a disparate group of Belarusian journalists and activists campaigning in exile against the president’s 27-year reign.

He co-founded the Telegram channel Nexta, which has helped rally anti-lukashenko demonstrations, landing him on a wanted list for terrorism in 2019.

The state charged Protasevich in absentia last year with “organizing mass riots and group actions that grossly violate public order.”