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| - Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven wealthy nations on Thursday called for the "immediate and unconditional release" of Roman Protasevich, a Belarusian journalist arrested by the regime in Minsk after the plane he was on was diverted. "We demand the immediate and unconditional release" of Protasevich, "as well as all other journalists and political prisoners held in Belarus," the ministers said in a joint statement published by the British government. The ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States, along with the European Union "condemn in the strongest terms the unprecedented action by the Belarusian authorities," the statement added. International disapproval of Belarus and its president, Alexander Lukashenko, has increased since the regime diverted a Ryanair jet on Sunday to arrest Protasevich, an opposition journalist, and his companion, Sofia Sopega, who were both on board. The G7 ministers accused Lukashenko of jeopardising the safety of the passengers and crew on the flight. "We call on the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to urgently address this challenge to its rules and standards," said the statement. "This action also represents a serious attack on media freedom," it added. "We will enhance our efforts, including through further sanctions as appropriate, to promote accountability for the actions of the Belarusian authorities." Dominic Raab, foreign minister for Britain, which currently holds the G7 presidency, wrote on Twitter that "we will use all the tools at our disposal to hold the Lukashenko regime to account". jwp/phz/dl
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