US sanctions Belarus' election officials, president's plane
Source: AP
WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. imposed sanctions Friday on seven Belarusian elections officials, two state-owned automotive manufacturers and President Alexander Lukashenkos aircraft. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, intensified his repression after a wave of protests in 2020 following a presidential election that the West and Belarus opposition denounced as a sham.
Lukashenko also has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and has allowed him to station troops and weapons there to support his war in Ukraine. Those sanctioned Friday include a new slate of commissioners on Belarus Central Election Commission, which was originally sanctioned in December 2020.
Lukashenko accused the opposition presidential candidate, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, of plotting to overthrow the government. This month, a Belarusian court sentenced Tsikhanouskaya, now living in exile, to 15 years in prison. Lukashenkos aircraft, a Boeing 737 that he uses for international travel, was also designated for sanctions, which blocks its use in the U.S.
BelAZ, one of the largest manufacturers of large trucks and dump trucks in the world, and the automotive manufacturer MAZ were also sanctioned. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the U.S. will continue to impose costs on the regime and those who support it for their repression of the people of Belarus and for the Belarusian governments support for Russias war.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/belarus-ukraine-war-sanctions-lukashenko-9a889062f8237de39c62a1c9785d5d4d
maxsolomon
(33,265 posts)Probably in the US to talk to the Biden Admin about this move.
I'd love to see Lukashenko overthrown/exiled/dead, but I have a feeling he'll let Russia annex the country before he goes.
A good chunk of Belarus was Poland before the MolotovRibbentrop Pact in '39. As was a good chunk of Ukraine.