BRUSSELS -- Belarus' isolation deepened Tuesday as commercial jets avoided its airspace, the European Union worked up new sanctions, and officials expressed concern for the welfare of an opposition journalist who was arrested after being pulled off a plane that was diverted to Minsk in what the West called a state-sponsored hijacking.
The developments put a spotlight on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's rule and suppression of dissent -- but it was not clear what effect more sanctions or other measures would have.
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"Additional sanctions? Will this be sufficient? I absolutely can't say today," said French President Emmanuel Macron. But, he added: "The unacceptable character of what happened ... justifies them."
After his detention, opposition journalist Raman Pratasevich was seen in a brief video clip on Belarusian state television late Monday, speaking rapidly to say that he was confessing to some of the charges authorities have leveled against him.
The spokesperson for the U.N.'s human-rights office, Rupert Colville, said Pratasevich's appearance likely was not voluntary and that he seemed to have bruises on his face, although it was difficult to tell from the video.
Asked about the video, German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with Britsh Prime Minister Boris Johnson that it was "worrying and disturbing" and makes the EU demand for his release "all the more urgent."
"And we will use all channels at our disposal to do this," she added.
The 26-year-old journalist and activist was arrested Sunday after Belarusian flight controllers ordered the Ryanair jetliner he was aboard to land, telling the crew that there was a bomb threat against the flight. A Belarusian fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane to Minsk, just before it was to land in Vilnius, Lithuania, from Athens, Greece.
In an unusually swift response to the arrest and flight diversion, EU leaders agreed Monday to ban Belarusian airlines from using the airspace and airports of the 27-nation bloc and impose sanctions on officials linked to the diversion.
"The measures of restricting flights in particular ... are extremely biting on the Belarus system," Macron said.
The EU demanded Pratasevich's release and urged the International Civil Aviation Organization to investigate the diversion, while recommending European carriers avoid Belarus' airspace. Polish carrier LOT and Baltic airlines began bypassing the country, while Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and others said they will follow suit.
Belarus has defended its actions. Its Transport Ministry said Tuesday that it has invited international aviation, U.S. and EU authorities to investigate the diversion.
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc will introduce more sanctions that will target "businesses and economic entities that are financing this regime" and her Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that "any dictator who toys with such thoughts must know that there will be a bitter price to pay."
Maas said Lukashenko's action "is hard to beat in terms of perfidy."
"The lives of more than 170 passengers were endangered here to arrest a journalist. It's a threefold attack -- an attack on the safety of air traffic, on press freedom and the European citizens on board," he said.
And the EU plans to target companies close to Lukashenko. "We know that in this country, the major state companies make the money. This is going to hit them and everything is targeted towards making them feel the sting," said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Lukashenko has faced unprecedented pressure at home with months of protests triggered by his reelection to a sixth term in an August vote that the opposition rejected as rigged. But he has only doubled down on repression, and more than 35,000 people have been arrested since the protests began, with thousands beaten.
Pratasevich, who left Belarus in 2019, has become a top foe of Lukashenko with a popular messaging app he ran playing a key role in helping organize the huge protests, and authorities have increasingly tried to limit his influence.
Pratasevich had been charged in absentia with staging mass riots and fanning social hatred. Those carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years, and some fear Pratasevich could face more serious charges, including some that carry the death penalty.
Pratasevich's 23-year-old Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who also was removed from the flight and detained, spoke in a video from custody shown on state TV. In it, she said she had been working as the editor of a Telegram channel that revealed personal data about Belarus' security officers during the protests. Her lawyers had said earlier in the day that she has been jailed for two months, pending an investigation.
Information for this article was contributed by Vladimir Isachenkov, Vanessa Gera, Frank Jordans, Elaine Ganley, Jamey Keaten, Samuel Petrequin, Lorne Cook, Jill Lawless and Jan M. Olsen of The Associated Press.
