Flags of EU member statesBRUSSELS, 25 Feb Belarus, follows from a document published in the official journal of the European Union. The sanctions will be in effect until February 28, 2023. Western countries, in particular the EU states, after the Belarusian elections on August 9, 2020, imposed personal sanctions against a number of Belarusian officials, accusing them of violence against the participants protests and vote rigging. Since 2020, the European Union has consistently approved five lists of those involved in sanctions, including President Alexander Lukashenko and members of his family. The last time the lists were expanded in December last year, adding 28 persons involved in the migration crisis near the borders of the EU and Belarus. At the moment, the lists include 183 individuals and 26 organizations. The sanctions imply a ban on entry into the EU for individuals, as well as freezing all assets of individuals and organizations from the list. Also, European individuals and companies are prohibited from transferring funds to the defendants. For the first time, EU restrictive measures against Belarus were introduced in 2004. The measures included an asset freeze and a travel ban on four people in connection with the unsolved disappearance of two opposition politicians, one businessman and one journalist in 1999 and 2000. Further restrictive measures were later taken against individuals allegedly involved in the » violation of international electoral standards and human rights», as well as «the suppression of civil society and democratic opposition». in RussiaPosted by: Maxim Gorbachev
