Ukraine, six more countries join EU’s sanctions against Lukashenko

“The Council Decision adds 40 individuals to the list of persons and entities subject to restrictive measures set out in the Annex to Decision 2012/642/CFSP,” reads the declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU.

Sanctions were imposed in connection with fraud in the presidential election in Belarus and human rights violations.

As noted, the Candidate Countries the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine align themselves with this Council Decision.

As reported, the EU has already imposed two blocks of sanctions on Belarusian officials. The restrictive measures concern more than 50 representatives of the country's leadership, including Alexander Lukashenko and security officers. They are barred from entering EU countries and their European bank accounts will be frozen.

Mass protests continue in Belarus against the falsification of the August 9 presidential election results, in which Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner. Authorities continue to crack down on peaceful protesters.

A new wave of anti-government protests broke out in the country after 31-year-old Roman Bondarenko died at a hospital in Minsk on November 12 after being abducted and brutally beaten by unknown masked men during protests. After that, actions to commemorate the activist began in Belarus. According to the Viasna human rights center, 1,279 people were detained during the protests last Sunday.

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