EU ambassadors agree on sanctions against Lukashenka


EU ambassadors have agreed on sanctions against several Belarusian officials, TASS reports, citing a source in the delegation of one of the European countries. Alyaksandr Lukashenka was also included in the sanctions list.

The source said that in the coming days this decision will be approved by the EU Council and it will enter into force after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Rikard Jozwiak, a reporter for Radio Liberty in Brussels, writes that Lukashenka and his fourteen other officials will have their assets frozen and will be banned from entering the European Union.

On October 12, it was reported about the decision of the EU to include Lukashenka in the sanctions list. Such a proposal was made by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. In his Twitter, he wrote that the situation in Belarus has not improved, the violence by the Lukashenka regime and the arrests of peaceful demonstrators continue. Maas’ initiative was supported by the foreign ministers of the EU countries. The reason for this decision was the secret inauguration of Lukashenka.

On October 2, the EU and the US imposed restrictions on 40 people involved in human rights violations and beatings of protesters in Belarus following the August 9 presidential elections. Then the unrecognized president was not included in the sanctions list, giving him a chance to establish a dialogue with his own people.

Russia automatically joined Belarus’ retaliatory sanctions against the EU. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this was due to “allied commitments.”

TWITTER