Hijacked plane: the West coordinates to punish Lukashenko’s regime

The European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada decided to sanction dozens of personalities and companies associated with the existing authority in Minsk.

The twenty-seven also agreed to cut off important sources of the regime’s income at a meeting in Luxembourg. This decision must be confirmed Quickly after the summitEuropean UnionEuropean Union said the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Brussels.

On Monday morning, the European foreign ministers met the exiled Svetlana Tikhanovska, who came to Luxembourg on Sunday evening. Josep Borrell said they had informed her of their decision and had provided them with a list of state-owned companies to sanction if a new package of measures was needed.

Then the ministers agreed to add 78 names and 8 entities to the list of Belarusian officials sanctioned for suppressing dissent.

Seven people, including the Belarusian defense and transport ministers, were directly involved in changing Ryanair’s flight path on May 23 to stop two passengersBelarusian dissident journalist Roman Protasevic and his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sabiga.

The Europeans also froze the assets of seven companies run by relatives of Alexander Lukashenko and put them on the blacklist ofEuropean UnionEuropean Union The son of President Dmitry and wife of the eldest Viktor Lilia Lukashenko.

Then EU ministers unanimously confirmed the decision to take measures affecting seven sectors of the Belarusian economy.

We have sanctions targeting people. And now we have sanctions in seven economic sectors, from weapons to tobacco to fertilizers, that is potassiumLuxembourg’s head of diplomacy Jean Asselborn said.

L ‘European UnionEuropean Union Punishable for an act of air piracycommented.

These are measures that will significantly affect Belarus and state revenues, and therefore the funds on which Lukashenko and his regime depend.

No one expected us to go this farEuropean diplomat. It was the hijacking of Ryanair’s flight triggerexplained.

Sanctions ‘that will hurt’

L ‘European UnionEuropean Union It will stop its imports of certain types of potash and its imports of petroleum products refined in Belarus or re-exported from the former Soviet republic, such as diesel, several sources told AFP.

It was also determined to prevent the export of tobacco factory products.

The sanctions will also ban any new bank lending to the state, the central bank, and majority state-owned banks and entities. The sale of certain financial products, including securities, investment services and insurance products, will also be prohibited.

L ‘European UnionEuropean Union It will also strengthen the arms embargo to include hunting and sporting weapons, and ban the sale of dual-use goods and surveillance equipment.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya welcomed Western sanctions Unprecedented And the Very strongIn a statement to Agence France-Presse in Brussels. I am very grateful to the community for taking this unifying position. Punishments become more powerful when they are coordinated, she added.

For his part, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, stressed that these sanctions against Minsk will hurt.

L ‘European UnionEuropean Union He had already punished 88 members of the regime, including President Alexander Lukashenko and his son Viktor. But the consequences of these individual sanctions were above all to increase repression. The situation is deterioratingA European diplomat commented.

Personally, I hope that one day Lukashenko will be held accountable in an international court, because he does terrible thingsJan Asselborn was fired.