UK sanctions Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko for vote rigging
The UK has imposed sanctions on Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and seven allies for “a string of human rights violations against opposition figures, media and the people of Belarus in the wake of rigged elections”.
The sanctions mean that Lukashenko and his allies – including his son Victor Lukashenko – are banned from entering Britain and all their UK-based assets will be frozen under the recently created Magnitsky Act.
The sanctions have been imposed on Lukashenko, often described as Europe’s last dictator, in coordination with Canada.
The US last week declared that it would not recognise Lukashenko as Belarus’ president, while the EU has also threatened the strongman with sanctions.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said: “Today the UK and Canada have sent a clear message by imposing sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko’s violent and fraudulent regime.
“We don’t accept the results of this rigged election.
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“We will hold those responsible for the thuggery deployed against the Belarusian people to account and we will stand up for our values of democracy and human rights.”
The sanctions come after Lukashenko was last week sworn in as President behind closed doors in front of a few hundred people and security services.
His victory in last month’s election has widely been condemned as illegitimate by countries all over the world, with ample evidence of vote rigging emerging days after the results were declared.
Hundreds of thousands of Belarussians have taken part in peaceful protests since the results were announced seven weeks ago, with 100,000 people turning out to a Minsk rally over the weekend.
They have often been met by brutal force by Belarussian police, with widespread accounts of torture against arrested protesters.
Lukashenko’s opponent in the election Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, who many believe would have won a fairly counted election, was forced to flee to Lithuania for her own safety shortly after polling day.
Polling booths that were not tampered with showed her winning 80 per cent of the vote.
She met with French President Emanuel Macron today, with Tsikhanouskaya telling reporters afterward that Macron said “that time is very important since many people are suffering from the regime, many people find themselves in jail, and he will do everything to help free all political prisoners”.
Lukashenko has refused calls from world leaders to stand down, calling the protesters “rats”.
He was also seen at one rally brandishing an assault rifle, while threatening Nato countries on other occasions.