[ad_1]
Earlier Monday, EU foreign ministers agreed to impose additional sanctions on 78 individuals and eight legal entities for human rights violations in Belarus. They will be subject to an EU visa ban and their assets under EU jurisdiction will be frozen.
Seven people, including Defense Minister Viktor Chrenin and Transport Minister Aliakseja Avramenko, were sentenced to death last month for the landing of a Ryanair liner from Athens to Vilnius in Minsk and the Belarusian opposition blogger. Raman Pratasevic and his girlfriend Vilan, a Russian student. Sofia Sophia, a citizen.
Another 71 people will be punished for serious human rights abuses and support for the Minsk regime. Among them are Russian business magnate Mikhail Guceryev, Lukashenko’s son Dzmitry, and Marti Lily.
“This decision is the result of the escalation of serious human rights violations in Belarus and brutal actions against civil society, the democratic opposition and journalists,” the EU said in a statement.
“The purpose of the sanctions is to pressure Belarusian political leaders to initiate a real and inclusive national dialogue with an even wider circle of members of the public and to avoid further repression,” the statement said.
Following the addition of the sanctions target list, a total of 166 individuals and 15 legal entities will be subject to EU sanctions.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Cichanouskaya, who considers herself a legitimate winner of last year’s presidential elections, welcomed the decision to impose sanctions on business magnates and high-ranking officials.
“This list of sanctions is quite strong,” he told a press conference in Brussels.
Meeting in Luxembourg, the EU foreign ministers also backed a wide range of measures against important sources of income for the authoritarian regime of Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenko: exports of potassium fertilizers, the tobacco industry, oil and oil exports and the financial sector.
According to officials, these measures, including a ban on the sale of surveillance equipment and an arms embargo to Belarus, should be formally approved by the 27-nation bloc in the coming days.
“It is not a silver bullet”
Lukashenko sparked international outrage by lifting the fighter on May 23 to take over a Ryanair liner flying from Greece to Lithuania.
Last year, the EU imposed sanctions on 88 people, including Lukashenko and his son, for the brutal crackdown on protests in Belarus, which has suffered severe unrest since the August presidential elections. Lukashenko, who has ruled the country with an iron fist since 1994, has been declared the winner, but the opposition and Western democracies believe the election was rigged.
Lukashenko, backed by Russia’s main ally Russia, has so far failed to pressure him.
Before the meeting, the EU ministers met with Ms Cichanouskaya, who was living in exile.
“Sanctions are not a silver bullet, but they can help end violence and liberate [režimo kalinamus] people, ”Cichanouskaya wrote on Twitter after the meeting.
During the meeting with S. Cichanouskaya, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis expressed his strong support for the people of Belarus who are fighting for democratic change in their country. According to the minister, Belarusians should know that they will not be left alone, that the EU is ready to provide serious financial support for the transformation of a democratic Belarus.
“Europe must understand that Putin is really behind everything Lukashenko is doing. The Kremlin’s goal is obvious: to join Belarus. Therefore, the EU must speak with one voice, whatever the future agreements of these regimes may be. or changes to the Belarusian constitution, Europe will never recognize them, “Landsbergis said, noting that the Belarusian regime is becoming more aggressive towards neighboring countries by actively supporting Belarusian citizens. society.
The Lithuanian head of diplomacy was satisfied that the EU was finalizing an agreement on EU sectoral sanctions and stressed the importance of preparing the legal basis for the introduction of sanctions as soon as possible and starting their practical implementation as soon as possible.
“We strongly support the fourth sanctions package, which was finally adopted today. We also attach particular importance to the sectoral sanctions agreement, which we look forward to this week. This is a sanction for the regime, not for the people of Belarus. The Kremlin is funding the Lukashenko’s debts and losses. Therefore, the price that the prime minister of Belarus will pay will also be paid by V. Putin, “said the minister.
Landsbergis also said that he would discuss the EU issue with his colleagues regarding the sharp increase in the flow of immigrants arriving in Lithuania through the Belarusian border in recent days. Most of these arrivals are Iraqis and Syrians.
Landsbergis accused the Belarusian authorities of deliberately directing immigrants to neighboring EU countries. According to him, Minsk is trying to counter Vilnius’s efforts to focus community pressure on the Belarusian regime.
He warned that the flow of arrivals could increase further when the new sanctions are adopted, and that Lithuania “may need help and support from other European countries as well.”
It is not allowed to publish, quote or reproduce the information of the BNS news agency in the media and on websites without the written consent of the UAB “BNS”.
[ad_2]
