The President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) Peter Bowness believes that the incident with the landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk and the arrest of one of the founders of the opposition NEXTA Telegram channel Roman Protasevich is beyond the bounds of what is permissible.

Bowness tweeted that the outrageous, reckless, and dangerous actions of the Belarusian authorities, who forced the plane to land, go beyond what is permissible.

They not only unnecessarily endangered the lives of almost 200 people on the plane, but they could also be in violation of the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Aviation, he said.

According to the head of the OSCE PA, the fact that Protasevich was detained as a result raises serious concern about the freedom of the media in Belarus. 

He called for the immediate release of Protasevich and resolute international response to the republic's actions. The incident is clear evidence that the Belarusian government is willing to defy international opinion in pursuit of its sole goal of eliminating opposition and retaining power, Bowness wrote.