Belarus regime extends sanctions against Škoda, Beiersdorf, Liqui Moly. They refused to sponsor hockey cup in Minsk
On November 2, the Council of Ministers issued Decree Nr 622 which prolongs the so called Belarusian blacklist including products by Liqui Moly, Škoda Auto, Beiersdorf (the latter is also known for its trade name Nivea).
In April 2021, the Belarusian government banned the import of goods produced by a number of companies in light of ‘unfriendly actions against the Belarusian people’. The document was adopted on the basis of Decree Nr 128 signed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka on March 30 (‘On applying special measures’). It provides for the prohibition of importing and selling certain groups of products from countries that introduced sanctions and restrictions against the Lukashenka regime.
Decree Nr 622 is to come into force on November 4. The document has not yet been published on the National Legal Internet Portal, but it has been registered. The prohibition will also target other goods on which restrictions were imposed earlier, Zerkalo.io reports citing its own sources. The bans will allegedly be extended for six months.
Apparently, the Belarusian authorities made a retaliation attempt as the above companies stated in mid January that they would not sponsor the 2021 Ice Hockey World Championship if Minsk turned to be one of its venues. A few days later, the International Ice Hockey Federation announced its decision to move the high-profile from the Belarusian capital city, stressing that such step was ‘unavoidable’ due ‘to safety and security issues’. The championship was expected to be held in Minsk and Riga which had won the right to co-host the corresponding event in the year of 2021. However, due to the rigged elections and the brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters, a large international movement to strip Belarus of this right gained pace.
