Belarus: Alexandr Lukashenko and 14 other officials sanctioned over ongoing repression
The Council today added 15 members of the Belarusian authorities, including Alexandr Lukashenko as well as his son and National Security Adviser Viktor Lukashenko, to the list of individuals sanctioned in relation to the violent repression and intimidation of peaceful demonstrators, opposition members and journalists after the 2020 presidential election in Belarus.
Restrictive measures, which now apply to a total of 59 individuals, include a travel ban and an asset freeze. In addition, EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to those listed.
Today’s decision follows up on the conclusions adopted by the Council on 12 October 2020 on the EU’s response to the developments in Belarus, in which the Council strongly condemned the violence employed by the Belarusian authorities against peaceful protesters and stated the EU’s readiness to take further restrictive measures against entities and high-ranking officials, including Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Furthermore, on 24 September 2020, the High Representative issued a declaration on behalf of the EU, saying that the so-called ‘inauguration’ and the new mandate claimed by Aleksandr Lukashenko lacked any democratic legitimacy, asking the Belarusian authorities to immediately refrain from any further repression and violence directed against the Belarusian people and to immediately and unconditionally release all those detained, including political prisoners.
The relevant legal acts, including the names of the persons concerned, have been published in the Official Journal.
- Official Journal of the EU, 6 Nov 2020
- Council conclusions on Belarus, 12 October 2020
- Belarus: EU imposes sanctions for repression and election falsification, press release, 2 October 2020
- Belarus: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the so-called ‘inauguration’ of Aleksandr Lukashenko, 24 September 2020
- EU relations with Belarus (policy page)
