Germany calls detained activist's interview 'disgrace' for Belarusian leadership

Germany on June 4 slammed the Belarusian government for an interview shown on state television with journalist Roman Protasevich, who was detained after his plane was forced to land in Minsk. German government spokesman Steffen Seibert called the broadcast, in which Protasevich confessed to calling for protests last year, “absolutely disgraceful and implausible”. Seibert said that Berlin “condemned in the strongest terms” Protasevich second media appearance since his detention and further accused Belarusian authorities of “mentally and possibly physically” pressuring him into speaking before the camera. 

The journalist was arrested after his plane was diverted to Belarus. In the second footage aired late on Wednesday, the 26-year-old again said that he had called for protests last year and even praised Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. However, during the 1.5-hour interview, Protasevich was looking uncomfortable and he reportedly even have “visible wounds” on his wrists. In the end, Protasevich even began crying and covered his face with his hands. 

After the footage was aired, Seibert called the broadcaster and the Belarusian leadership a “disgrace”. He said that the Belarusian officials once again showed their contempt for democracy and for humanity. Seibert added that Berlin’s thoughts were with Protasevich and all the other citizens of Belarus who are being treated so “inhumanely” for their convictions and their peaceful fight for civil rights. 

Aftermath of Protasevich’s detention 

Protasevich was arrested on May 23 along with his girlfriend Sofia Sapega when their Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius was diverted and intercepted by a fighter jet. The forced landing and abdication have set off shockwaves across countries. The EU member states have agreed to cut the bloc’s air links with Belarus and have strongly condemned the “outrageous actions” that endangered aviation safety. US President Joe Biden said that Belarus' forced diversion of a commercial Ryanair flight and subsequent removal and arrest of Raman Protasevich is a direct affront to international norms.

Russia, on the other hand, defended Belarus' use of military jet to divert passenger plane carrying the dissident. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov has said that the country treated the incident with an "absolutely reasonable approach". Lavrov asserted that Minsk was ready to act on the issue in a transparent manner and to follow all international rules. Calling upon western states to act in the same manner, the Russian lawmakers asked the global community to "soberly assess the situation".

(Image: Twitter/AP)