Politico: EU Agrees New Belarus Sanctions Targeting Lukashenko

EU ambassadors on Wednesday approved sanctions against a second list of 15 Belarusian officials, including President Alexander Lukashenko, whom the bloc accuses of election fraud and repression, Politico reports. 

"The sanctions, which aim to support anti-government protesters in Belarus who have been met with violence from security forces, are set to be published in the EU’s Official Journal on Friday, two EU diplomats said. The restrictive measures include travel bans and asset freezes.

"Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years, claims to have won a contested August 9 election with 80% of the vote, but the EU has made clear that it does not accept the result and does not recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate president of the country," reads the article by Hans von der Burchard, a reporter with POLITICO's politics team. 

The author points out that last month, Brussels slapped sanctions on a group of 40 Belarusian officials, after waiting nearly two months to take action because Cyprus demanded that the EU also bring in tougher measures over Turkish behavior in the Mediterranean Sea.

The publication stresses that the new set of sanctions, which were first discussed by EU foreign ministers on October 12 following a continued crackdown on regime-critical protests, was approved much faster.

The article quotes Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union, saying that the new sanctions had become necessary because of the violence and a “complete lack of will from Lukashenko’s side to engage in negotiations.”

Anti-government protests in Belarus began on August 9, after Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for 26 years, was declared the official winner of the presidential election. Based on the official results, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, considered Lukashenko's main rival, received only 10% of votes. 

Tikhanovskaya fled to Lithuania for her own safety after the election. She has been charged with "attempting a  coup d'état."

By Ana Dumbadze 

Source: Politico.eu