Belarus opposition urges US, G7 to up pressure on regime

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on Tuesday called on Washington and the G7 to ramp up pressure on Belarus's government after the diversion of a Ryanair flight and arrest of a dissident on board.

The forced landing of a European passenger flight in the Belarus capital Minsk over a supposed bomb threat led to a global outcry with several EU-based carriers opting out of flying over Belarusian airspace.

In a call with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Tikhanovskaya "called on the United States to isolate the regime and pressure it through sanctions," she said on Twitter.

Separately, in a post on her Telegram channel, Tikhanovskaya said that she asked for the opposition to be invited to next month's G7 summit in Britain's Carbis Bay.

"The situation with the hijacking of the plane cannot be considered separately from other repressions and flagrant violations of human rights in Belarus," she said. 

Tikhanovskaya also suggested discussions at the G7 summit "with the participation of the Belarusian democratic forces" and called for an international conference to resolve the political crisis that erupted in Belarus last year. 

The ex-Soviet country was gripped by months of historic demonstrations following a disputed presidential election in August 2020 that saw Alexander Lukashenko elected for a sixth term.

The 66-year-old leader has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for over two decades and responded to the demonstrations with a violent crackdown, detaining thousands, many of whom reported torture and abuse in custody.

Opposition blogger Roman Protasevich, who was aboard the diverted Ryanair flight, was arrested at Minsk airport on Sunday and authorities say he is being held in a pre-trial detention centre.

The 26-year-old fled to Europe in 2019 from where he co-ran the Nexta Telegram channels, a key Belarus opposition media that helped mobilise protesters.

Late on Monday, Belarus state TV released a video of Protasevich confessing to organising mass unrest in Belarus, an offence punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

His allies say the video was made under pressure from authorities. 

Tikhanovskaya said there was "no doubt that Roman was being tortured in prison".