Detained Journalist Protasevich from Ryanair Plane Forced to Land in Minsk Likely Tortured

Belarusian dissident journalist Roman Protasevich was arrested on Sunday after Belarusian authorities diverted Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius of a possible bomb threat and forced it to land at an airport near Minsk.

Fears are growing that the Belarusian journalist who is well-known critic of President Lukashenko, has been subject to torture while in custody.

Natalia Protasevich, the mother of the journalist, said there was clear evidence that her son had been subject to violence, referring to footage released a day earlier from the Minsk pre-trial detention centre where he is being held.

"I am not a surgeon, but it is certain that they hit his nose and may have broken it," Protasevich's mother said of the video that was circulated by the authorities.

She also said her son's left cheek was swollen and sagging and according to her there are signs of strangulation on the neck of her son.

"From the looks of it, they choked him to beat evidence out of him" Protasovich said. She claimed her son was forced to make the statement.

In the video, Protasevich, 26, said he was being treated in accordance with the law and confessed to having organized riots.

Her fears were echoed by opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who said the international community must act in concert to prevent a repeat of Belarus' weekend gambit.

Now is the time to discuss joint steps "to bring the perpetrators to justice," Tikhanovskaya, who lives in exile in Lithuania, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

The US should launch an investigation into the flight's forced landing and Protasevich's detention, she said after a phone call with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

"All of this is a result of the...