Daily US Times: Hundreds of people in Lithuania and Poland gathered to show global solidarity protests on Saturday to show support for the opposition in neighbouring Belarus.

The protesters called for the release of a Belarusian journalist who was arrested along with his girlfriend when their flight was diverted to Minsk.

The detention of the pair sparked global outrage, and prompted the EU to urge airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace.

Global solidarity protests for Belarus took place elsewhere in Europe as well as in Australia and the US.

On Sunday, Roman Protasevich, 26 and Sofia Sapega, 23, were flying from Greece to Lithuania, but a fighter jet was scrambled over Belarus to escort their plane to Minsk airport over a fake bomb threat.

As the Ryanair plane landed, they were arrested by the Belarusian authority.

Mr Protasevich’s mother, Natalia, said at a rally in the Polish capital Warsaw: “I’m calling on all EU countries and the US to please help us free Roman and Sofia, as well as everyone else imprisoned.”

fHis ather, Dmitry, added: “We want to live in a free country, in a country where everyone has the right to express his beliefs.”

The crowd at the Warsaw rally waved the Belarusian opposition’s white and red flag, and held signs that read Freedom for Belarus and Help Belarus.

Natallia Burak, a 35-year-old Belarusian living in the city, said: “Things look really bad now. That’s why we need to do something, show those fighting back home that they’re not alone.”

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