Former Editor of Nexta Arrested in Minsk

Former editor of the Nexta Telegram channel, Roman Protasevich, has been arrested in Minsk. The former head of the media outlet, recognized as extremist in Belarus, was detained after an emergency landing in Minsk of a plane flying from Athens to Vilnius, which was diverted following a bomb threat.

The European Union and the United States have called for member states of the International Civil Aviation Organization to convene an emergency meeting and urged other countries to refrain from air travel over Belarus.

Roman Protasevich, who actively covered protests demanding the resignation of Alexander Lukashenko, had been wanted in Belarus for several months prior.