On 23 May 2021, the Government of Belarus diverted a Ryanair passenger jet to land in Minsk and detained two of its passengers – activist and journalist Roman Protasevich, and his partner Sofia Sapega. In a joint statement issued on 21 June 2021, the UK, EU and US, in addition to Canada, expressed "deep concern regarding the [Alexander] Lukashenka regime’s continuing attacks on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and international law". An expansion of global sanctions on Belarus followed, the most wide-ranging of which were initially imposed by the EU to target sectors of the Belarusian economy.
Clifford Chance
