Protasevich and Sapieha were released. Can the European aviation community now lift the sanctions on Belavia and resume air traffic, allow Belavia to fly again? After all, one of the requirements of the EU was the release of Protasevich and Sapieha.
The key here is that this is only one of the requirements. And the fact of pardoning Protasevich and Sapieha does not cancel the fact of the crime committed. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) concluded in its report that Belarusian officials in May 2021 ordered a deliberately false bomb report to be transmitted on board a Ryanair aircraft. The fact of the crime is obvious and no one in Belarus takes any measures and actions to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Moreover, the pardon does not mean the fact that completely far-fetched charges against Protasevich and Sapieha, who were detained without any real legal grounds, that is, on politically motivated charges, were dropped. What lifting of sanctions, even with the release of Protasevich and Sapieha, can we talk about under these conditions?
It should be noted that after the illegal landing of a civilian Ryanair aircraft, which posed a threat to flight safety, the European Union closed EU airspace and airports for all Belarusian aircraft. However, the European Council officially imposed sanctions against the same Belavia company much later, on December 2, 2021. The state-owned carrier came under restrictions not because of the case with the Ryanair aircraft, but because of accusations that the airline contributed to the creation of a migrant crisis on the border of Belarus and the EU. And this crisis continues - illegal migrants from the territory of Belarus storm the borders of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia every day.
In addition, the current illegitimate authorities cannot ensure flight safety. Moreover, after the start of the war, Russia also fell under air sanctions. And now to lift the sanctions and open air communication with Belarus is to expand air communication with Russia, thereby creating another "hole" in bypassing the sanctions. Citizens of Russia will actively take advantage of this opportunity and fly in transit through Belarus. In a war, I think no one will lift sanctions and thereby pose a threat to the security of citizens of Western countries.
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