statement on arrest of Roman Protasevich

The Foreign Press Association of the USA demands the international community take decisive against the Belarus “state hijack” of the aircraft carrying Roman Protasevich.  We have already protested about the restrictions on press freedom inside Belarus but this piratical interception is a threat to all journalists and diplomats and sets a perilous precedent for other governments who wish to control the press. It also poses a danger for air safety - the false Belarus claim of explosives devalues genuine warnings in the future.