US and EU announced new sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko’s dictatorship for hijacked plane to Belarus

The United States, the European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom announced on Monday new sanctions against personalities of the The regime of Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus, in response to the escalation of repression and in particular to the “forced and reckless” hijacking of a plane to arrest a journalist.

“These coordinated appointments demonstrate the strong transatlantic commitment to supporting the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Washington has targeted its measures against 16 individuals and five entities, while EU foreign ministers punished 78 individuals and eight companies for its link to human rights violations in Belarus and its link to the forced landing of the Ryanair plane in which journalist Roman Protasevich was traveling. Following today’s decision, the EU has sanctioned a total of 166 people and 15 companies linked to the crisis in Belarus.

Those sanctioned by the EU include Russian tycoon Mikhail Gutseriyev, Lukashenko’s son Dmitry and daughter-in-law Liliyafor its links to the government’s widespread crackdown on the opposition or its support for the regime, authorities said. He also punished Defense Ministers Viktor Jrenin; of Transport, Alexéi Avramenko, and the commander of the air force, Igor Golub, as well as an entity related to air navigation

For its part, the US Treasury Department said it would freeze the US assets of people like Lukashenko’s press secretary Natallia Mikalaeuna Eismant and ban 46 Belarusian officials from entering the country. “The people designated today harmed the Belarusian people with their activities around the fraudulent presidential elections of August 9, 2020 in Belarus and the brutal crackdown that followed against protesters, journalists, opposition members and civil society. Today’s actions, taken in conjunction with those of our international partners and the entire United States government, are aimed at holding the Lukashenka regime accountable for its continued abuses and recent insults to international standards, including including the forcible hijacking of a Ryanair commercial flight and the arrests of Pratasevich and Sapega, ”he added.

In the UK’s case, Boris Johnson’s government has targeted regime officials and an exporter of petroleum products, BNK.

In turn, Canada has imposed sanctions against 17 individuals and 5 entities “in response to gross and systematic human rights violations” in Belarus.

The EU is ready to support a peaceful and democratic transition with a variety of instruments, including a comprehensive economic support plan for a democratic Belarus, but it has also said it is ready to take “more measures, including including on other economic actors “if the situation in the country does not improve.

Thus, the EU is already preparing a package of economic sanctions against Minsk which will be discussed by community leaders at their summit on Thursday and Friday and on which they could give guidelines for their subsequent adoption.

(With AFP, EFE information)