US President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Monday (August 9) to implement new measures aimed at punishing Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko because the United States has taken coordinated actions with the United Kingdom and Canada to step up efforts against the Belarusian government. pressure.
A White House official stated that on the anniversary of Lukashenko’s alleged manipulation of the presidential election, the United States will also impose the largest round of sanctions on Belarusian individuals and entities to date, targeting the country’s economy and the Belarusian National Olympic Committee. .
The U.S. Department of the Treasury put Belarusian OAO on the blacklist. The official said that the company is one of the largest state-owned enterprises in Belarus and one of the largest potash producers in the world. Potash is used in chemical fertilizers and is Belarus’s main source of foreign exchange income.
The official said that the National Olympic Committee of Belarus will also be sanctioned in Monday’s action because it is accused of facilitating money laundering, evading sanctions and evading visa bans.
The move was taken after Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya (Krystsina Tsimanouskaya) refused to board the plane home during the Olympics after being taken to the airport against her wishes. Since then, she has been seeking refugee status in Poland.
Western governments tried to increase pressure on Lukashenko, who was accused of rigging the election and cracking down on the opposition in August 2020 to extend his current 27 years in power. Lukashenko denied voting rigging.
Tens of thousands of people participated in street protests in 2020-this is the biggest challenge Lukashenko has faced since becoming president in 1994. His response was repression, and many opponents were arrested or exiled. They deny planning a coup.
The UK announced new sanctions on Monday, targeting exports of petroleum products and potash. Lukashenko said that Britain will “suffocate” its measures, and he is ready to talk to the West instead of launching a sanctions war.
Canada has also imposed new sanctions on Belarus to protest Lukashenko’s so-called “serious and systematic human rights violations.”
