The European Union revealed a range of retributive actions on Thursday, aimed at Belarus for its treatment of civilians apprehended after the discredited 2020 presidential election and its involvement in Russia’s Ukrainian conflict. The measures include sanctions on 38 Belarusian officials, mostly from the judicial and penal sectors, who are accused of serious human rights violations and suppressing civil society. The EU also imposed sanctions on three companies and initiated export bans on specific goods and technologies.
Belarusian officials implicated in the mistreatment of political prisoners and protestors following President Alexander Lukashenko’s controversial re-election in 2020 are among those targeted by the EU’s punitive measures. The protests that erupted were met with police brutality, resulting in thousands of arrests and reports of torture. Human Rights Watch documented appalling conditions in which detainees were held, with some subjected to torture and ill treatment.
In addition to the sanctions on individuals, the EU also imposed sanctions on three companies, Minsk Electrotechnical Plant Named After V.I. Kozlov, Byelorussian Steel Works, and Belorusneft, due to their connections with the Lukashenko regime and their termination of employees who participated in the post-election protests. The EU further implemented export bans on aviation and space industry goods and technology, firearms and ammunition, and certain goods that could be utilized by Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, described the sanctions as a response to Belarus’ ongoing human rights violations and its complicity in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The measures, which include asset freezes and travel bans, bring the total number of individuals and entities blacklisted by the EU in connection with Belarus to 233 and 37, respectively.
Democratic nations have consistently imposed sanctions on Belarus due to the election controversy and its support for Russia in the conflict with Ukraine. The European Commission expressed support for the EU’s targeted measures against Belarus, stating that they align with existing sanctions on Russia and help prevent circumvention of these measures through Belarus.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
