New US sanctions against Belarus

The US has announced new sanctions against Belarus in response to the “sustained repression” by the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko, as the trial of the exiled woman begins in Minsk Svetlana Tikhanovskayaone of the leaders of the Belarusian opposition.

“The Lukashenko regime continues its repression against the people of Belarus and their democratic ideals, through, among other things, the absent political expediency trial of the leader of the democratic opposition Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and other democratic activists on baseless charges,” states the head of US diplomacy. Anthony Blinken in a statement announcing the imposition of sanctions.

“In response to these human rights violations, the State Department announces that it is taking measures to limit the issuance of visas to 25 people (…) for their participation in the undermining of democracy” in Belarus, the Minister of Foreign Affairs clarifies.

Particularly, the sanctions concern members of the National Assembly of Belarus“for their role in enacting legislation allowing for the death penalty against those convicted of alleged ‘terrorist attempts’, a charge used by the Minsk regime to suppress and intimidate democratic opposition and civil society,” Antony states Blinken.

The authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994 and whose re-election in 2020 is in doubt, has been the target of US sanctions for years.

In March, Washington announced new economic sanctions against him for corruption and human rights abuses.

With today’s announcements, the State Department imposed a visa ban on 322 people for “undermining democracy in Belarus following the fraudulent 2020 presidential election,” Anthony Blinken said in a statement.

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