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Ruler Alexander Lukashenko (on May 9 in Minsk)
Photo: Andrei Stasevich / imago images / ITAR-TASS
The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko spoke up in front of members of parliament in the capital Minsk.
The dictator described the regime critic Roman Protasewitsch, who was arrested during the forced landing of a Ryanair plane, as a "terrorist".
The 26-year-old and his helpers had planned a "bloody uprising" in Belarus, said Lukashenko.
"You should understand the main thing here: there was a terrorist on board the plane," said Lukashenko, according to the newspaper of the presidential office, "Belarus Segodnja".
This was known beyond the Belarusian border, he said with a view to Russia.
At the same time, Lukashenko accused Protasevich of having fought on the side of government troops in eastern Ukraine.
"He has a lot of experience as a mercenary." The journalist reported in 2014 as a reporter from the Ukraine.
At that time, the war between pro-Russian forces and the central government in Kiev began in the east of the country.
However, Protasevich has not been shown to have engaged in combat operations.
Nonetheless, Lukashenko now claimed: “This bastard killed people in the south-east of Ukraine.
These facts are known not only to us, but also to our brother state Russia - and all over the world. «In Belarus, very serious crimes are subject to the death penalty, which is also carried out.
It was the sovereign right of Belarus to arrest Protasevich and his Russian partner.
In a speech in the Belarusian parliament, Lukashenko had previously claimed that there had been a bomb warning from Switzerland, which was why the plane had landed.
The warning had also been received in Greece and Lithuania.
Lukashenko threatened the EU with countermeasures in response to the sanctions imposed on Belarus.
"We won't be silent and kneel down," he said.
However, the 66-year-old left it open what he plans to do.
According to diplomats, the EU wants to hit the potash industry, which is important for Belarus’s foreign exchange, with its planned new punitive measures.
The opposition once again called for a tough crackdown on the authoritarian leadership in Minsk by the Western countries.
as / dpa
