Four Belarusian government officials have been charged in the US with aircraft piracy for allegedly diverting a Ryanair flight to arrest a dissident journalist.
The charges announced by the US Department of Justice follows the global uproar over the May 23, 2021, forced landing in Minsk of the Ryanair flight and detention of the journalist Roman Protasevich and his Russian girlfriend.
Belarus already has faced a wave of sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, from the United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada over the diverted flight, which US authorities said was targeted by a false bomb threat.
