European foreign ministers agreed to issue fresh sanctions against Belarus officials after a contested presidential election sparked protest all over the Eastern European country.
Thousands of protesters in white shirts marched in the capital Minsk on (April 16) Sunday as growing discontent mounts on the alleged rigged elections that declared incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko as the winner.
Lukashenko has been in power in Belarus since 1994. The latest election pitted the authoritarian ruler against opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikanouskaya who is now on a self-imposed exile in neighboring Lithuania fearing for her life after receiving threats. Tsikanouskaya insists on accusing the administration of cheating and that the recently held polls last August 9 were rigged.
Lukashenko claimed a re-election win after garnering 80 percent of the votes. However, this was heavily criticized by many people in Belarus citing anomalies in the conduct of elections.
Protests have been brewing in the Belarusian capital of Minsk as well as in other state-run factories. The protests resulted in thousands of arrests and illegal detention initiated by the police in a crackdown of the growing dissent.
Allegations of human rights violations and illegal detention have also been reported since last week as President Lukashenko rejected calls for him to step down from office.
EU leaders meet to discuss sanctions vs. Belarus authorities
What has been happening in Belarus has taken the interest of EU leaders who met via video conference on Friday (August 14) to discuss their latest actions against the country’s officials.
European foreign ministers are planning to make a list of several Belarusian officials that will be the target of the latest sanctions by the 27-member states comprising the union.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed there is “a need for additional sanctions against those who violated democratic values or abused human rights in Belarus.”
EU Minister for Foreign Affairs Josep Borell said:
“We call strongly on the Belarusian authorities to put an end to the violence, release all arbitrarily detained persons, and open dialogue with society.”
With its 9.5 million inhabitants, Belarus is a direct neighbor of European Union member states Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania.
“We support of course the sovereignty and independence of Belarus, but we cannot develop our relations by ignoring blatant violations of human rights and political freedoms,” Borrell said in a statement.
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