Why Belarus risked the wrath of the world to arrest an activist

Is Lukashenko set on revenge or trying to send a message with Roman Protasevich’s detention? Belarusians say both motives are possible.

In Belarusian, “to land” may also mean “to jail”. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko scrambled a military jet to forcibly land a passenger airliner on Sunday night because of a “bomb report” that turned out to be fake. The Lithuania-bound Ryanair flight had to divert to the Belarusian capital, Minsk, where police arrested journalist Roman Protasevich for his alleged involvement in “extremism”.