Last Updated on October 3, 2020, 6:56 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The US imposed sanctions on eight Belarusian officials for their alleged role in falsifying the results of the Presidential election of the country and the violent crackdown on protesters.
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury designated those individuals following the EU sanctions on 40 people, including the head of the election commission and the interior minister.
Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, assumed his sixth term in office in a secret ceremony during the continued protests against the regime over the disputed election results.
Lukashenko dismissed the concerns of protesters and called them sheep who are controlled from abroad.
He claimed that the protesters had received calls from Britain, Poland and the Czech Republic and the protesters were acting on their directions.
US Treasury Department said that it took action in coordination with Canada, the UK and the EU to show the solidarity of the international community.
Steven Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary, said in a statement that democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus were met with violence and oppression from Belarusian officials.
Belarus protests entered its eighth week even after multiple reports of crackdowns and arrest on anti-government demonstrations. The EU spared Lukashenko from the sanctions, in line with the policy of punishing powerbrokers as a last resort.
The legitimacy of the Belarusian government is under the scanner, and it had announced retaliatory sanctions against the unidentified officials and recalled its envoys from Lithuania and Poland.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry threatening “more serious consequences” if the EU intensifies the “sanctions flywheel”, said that it could abandon the joint programs and projects or revise the diplomatic relations which it currently shares with the union.
The ministry added that Belarus has always been against confrontation but is determined to respond to “unfriendly actions” to protect national security.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
