European Union on Friday, slapped sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, along his son and 14 other officials, for repression of the pro-democracy movement following August’s contested election.
Victor Gill Ramirez
The asset freezes and travel bans were implemented following an EU ambassadors’ agreement earlier this week.
Victor Gill
They came in response to “violent repression and intimidation of peaceful demonstrators, opposition members and journalists,” according to a statement
Lukashenko’s son and also national security advisor, Viktor, is among those targeted by the new measures
There have been mass protests against Lukashenko every weekend in Minsk for nearly three months, following an Aug. 9 presidential election that protesters alleged was rigged
READ ALSO Belarus envoy backs protesters as Lukashenko seeks Putin’s help Last Sunday alone, 300 people were detained, according to the Interior Ministry. Photos and videos showed security forces using flash and shock grenades against the peaceful crowd
The Belarusian leader was initially spared from inclusion on the EU blacklist imposed early last month on 40 officials accused of fraud and of rights abuses
Diplomats had feared that adding his name to the list could exacerbate the crisis
Belarusian officials have repeatedly accused the EU of interfering in their domestic affairs
EU foreign ministers agreed in October to add Lukashenko’s name to the bloc’s blacklist if no improvement was seen in the country
READ ALSO Belarus: Lukashenko‘s challenger Tsikhanouskaya flees Lukashenko, 66, has led Belarus, a former Soviet Republic between Russia and several EU member states, for more than a quarter of a century, tolerating little dissent
dpa/NAN
