Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The forced landing of Ryanair flight FR 4978, an Irish airline, put Ireland centre stage of an international incident. That any state would force an aeroplane to carry out an emergency landing to arrest a political opponent is wrong and cannot be tolerated. The Government, along with the rest of the EU, was fast and decisive in the approach to dealing with the forced landing and the arrest of the journalist, an outspoken critic of the Belarusian Government.

Freedom of the press and of political expression must be defended and upheld. This international incident has rightly called into question the role of the EU and the international community in defending the freedom of the press and political expression. Ireland's voice must be loud and clear in defending these values. We cannot allow trade deals to buy silence and inaction when these values are targeted by various governments. However, the strong, decisive and swift response towards Belarus with the imposition of sanctions highlights a certain double standard when it comes to defending these values. Where were the sanctions against the apartheid state of Israel, following the targeted bombing of several press and media outlets in Gaza last month by Israeli war planes? Al Jazeera's buildings were levelled. Where was the strong, decisive action when Israel's apartheid security forces physically assaulted and detained journalists who were covering the protests in occupied Palestine? These were clear acts to intimidate and suppress the freedom of the press.

Could the Minister indicate how much longer the EU will remain silent while the journalist, Julian Assange, is held captive? Julian Assange has done the world a great service by exposing crimes and human rights violations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He deserves everybody's gratitude, not his incarceration. When will Ireland speak up for these and all journalists, not just a select few?

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