US condemns Belarus over opposition journalist’s arrest after forced landing

The US has condemned Belarus for forcing a passenger airplane to land for a supposed “security alert” — leading to the arrest of an opposition journalist on board.

In a statement released late Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the immediate release of Raman Pratasevich, a vocal critic of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko who was busted after the plane touched down in Minsk. “The United States strongly condemns the forced diversion of a flight between two EU member states and the subsequent removal and arrest of journalist Raman Pratasevich in Minsk. We demand his immediate release,” the nation’s top diplomat said.