Belarus: EU launches sanctions procedure against Lukashenko and his son

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a speech at the Minsk Women's Forum on September 17, 2020 (illustrative image).

TUT.by via AP

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

The European Union has launched a procedure of sanctions against the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, his son Viktor and thirteen other responsible for the repression carried out in this country, a procedure against a head of state is quite exceptional.

Publicity

Read more

Extremely rare indeed, but the European Union, which did not recognize the results of the last elections in Belarus, wants to show that it disapproves of the

brutal repression against the opposition

.

According to the head of European diplomacy Josep Borell, it is because of the " 

refusal of the Belarusian authorities to engage in any dialogue with the opposition

 " that the 27 have decided to sanction

President Lukashenko

and his entourage.

The sanctions mean a visa ban and an asset freeze that results in the freezing of bank accounts, confiscation of the property of the person or entity being sanctioned, and the freezing of the assets of a company controlled by that person.

This concerns in particular two real estate companies belonging to the Lukashenko family based in Cyprus.

Alexander Lukashenko's son Viktor is affected by the sanctions because he is also his security adviser and as such he is considered one of those responsible for the repression.

The Belarusian opposition called on the European Union to strike at the highest level to force President Lukashenko to step down and allow the organization of a new election.

Every week tens of thousands of Belarusians have been demonstrating since August to protest against the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • Belarus

  • European Union

  • Alexander Lukashenko

On the same subject

International guest

Belarus: "The balance of power shows that the strikers are capable of mobilizing"

International report

With Belarusian refugees in Poland

European Parliament Sakharov Prize awarded to opposition in Belarus