European Union leaders met today and agreed upon several sanctions against the eastern European nation of Belarus, following what Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, called a hijacking and an attack on democracy.

This past Sunday Belarusian authorities told flight controllers there was a bomb on board a Ryanair flight heading from Athens to Vilnius in Lithuania. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko personally ordered a MiG-29 fighter jet to accompany the plane to the Minsk airport. No explosives were found on the plane however, Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend were on board and both were immediately detained by Belarusian authorities when the flight landed.

Protasevich is a young journalist who is outspoken against President Lukashenko and his regime, and he is the co-founder of the Nexta Telegram channel, which has played a leading role in the wave of protests in Belarus against the 2020 re-election of Lukashenko who has been in power since 1994.

Western nations are unanimously outraged and this most recent incident serves as a reminder that hundreds of political prisoners remain unjustly detained in Belarus. Western leaders agree that Lukashenko’s re-election in August 2020 was fraudulent and tens of thousands of Belarusians have risked their lives and imprisonment since last year to protest the current regime.

Pray for the safety and release of Protasevich and his girlfriend, for peace in Belarus, for the truth to prevail, and for followers of Jesus to shine especially brightly in these dark days. Pray for Christian leaders and workers throughout Eastern Europe to have wisdom, peace, and courage in midst of corruption.