The Council of the European Union decided to impose sanctions on 28 people for their role in continuous repression and human rights violations in Belarus.
Points of attention
- Prosecutors, judges, and heads of correctional institutions who made politically motivated decisions are among the persons to whom sanctions have been extended.
- The restrictive measures of the EU include the freezing of assets, a ban on financial transactions and travel through the territory of the European Union for the specified persons.
- After the introduction of EU sanctions, the persons to whom they are applied have to face serious restrictions in their activities and financial possibilities.
Against whom the EU extended sanctions in Belarus
As noted, sanctions have been imposed against two deputy heads of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus.
This body is responsible for political persecution, arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment of activists and members of civil society.
Also included in the sanctions list are prosecutors and judges who passed politically motivated sentences, especially against protesters against the falsification of the 2020 presidential election.
Sanctions also affected the heads of correctional institutions.
Longtime supporters of the Lukashenko regime were also sanctioned. Among them are BelTA General Director Iryna Akulovich, host of the "Senate" program on the STV channel and head of the Youth Council at the National Assembly of Belarus Mykyta Rachilovsky, as well as former head of Lukashenka's press service Dmytro Zhuk. These individuals actively spread false information and misinformation, promoted hatred of the democratic opposition and civil society.
What are the consequences for individuals after the EU sanctions are imposed
In total, EU restrictive measures against Belarus now apply to 261 individuals and 37 legal entities.
Sanctions include freezing assets and banning EU citizens and companies from providing them with funds. A travel ban has also been introduced, which prevents these persons from entering or transiting through the territory of the EU.
It will be recalled that on June 26, ambassadors of EU member states approved new restrictions against Belarus for supporting Russia's war against Ukraine.
They included a ban on the transportation of goods by road through the territory of the EU by trailers and semi-trailers registered in Belarus, including when transported by trucks registered outside Belarus.
