Fri. Sep 13th, 2024

Belarus: EU Council lists further 28 individuals for human rights violations

Aug 5, 2024 , , , ,

Brussels, 5 August 2024

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The Council today decided to impose restrictive measures on an additional 28 individuals for their role in the ongoing internal repression and human rights violations in Belarus.

Restrictive measures were imposed on two deputy heads of the Main Department for Combating Organised Crime aHUBAZiKnd Corruption (Bel. HUBAZiK / Rus. GUBOPiK)  of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. HUBAZiK is one of the main bodies responsible for political persecution in Belarus, including arbitrary and unlawful arrests and ill-treatment, including torture, of activists and members of civil society.

Today’s listings also include various members of the judiciary, namely prosecutors and numerous judges who have issued politically motivated sentences, including against citizens who protested the fraudulent presidential elections of 2020, or who simply voiced their opinions against the Lukashenka regime. Furthermore, restrictive measures are also imposed on the heads of various correctional institutions (prisons and a pre-trial detention centre).

Lastly, a group of long-time supporters of Lukashenka, who benefitted from the regime are also targeted. These include the director-general of the biggest State news agency, Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA), Iryna Akulovich; the host of the “Senate” television programme on the STV (СТВ) channel and chairman of the Youth Council at the National Assembly of Belarus, Mikita Rachylouski; and the previous head of Lukashenka’s press service and a long-time director general of BelTA, Dzmitry Zhuk. These regime propagandists willingly provided the Belarusian public with false information about repression perpetrated by the State authorities, spread disinformation produced by both Belarusian and Russian authorities and promoted hatred towards democratic opposition and civil society.

Altogether, EU restrictive measures against Belarus now apply to 261 individuals and 37 entities.

Those designated today are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. Natural persons are additionally subject to a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through EU territories.

These sanctions are adopted ahead of the fourth anniversary of the fraudulent presidential elections of August 2020. In its conclusions dated 19 February 2024, the Council expressed its deep concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus, and strongly condemned the continuing persecution and intimidation campaigns against all segments of Belarusian society by the Belarusian regime. It deplored that political prisoners remain incarcerated in appalling conditions, exposed to torture and ill-treatment, without access to essential health services, and that many of these prisoners have been kept for long periods of time without contact with their lawyers and relatives. The EU urges the Belarusian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners, and abolish the death penalty. The Council also strongly condemned the unprecedented level of repression, and restrictions on political participation ahead of the parliamentary and local elections that took place on 25 February 2024.

On 26 February 2024, the High Representative issued a statement in the aftermath of parliamentary and local elections, in which he condemned the unprecedented level of repression, human rights violations, restrictions on political participation and on access to independent media. He underlined that the parliamentary and local officials elected in Belarus lacked democratic legitimacy since the conditions for free and fair elections had not been met.

The EU stands with the people of Belarus and unwaveringly supports the Belarusian people’s quest for a free, democratic, sovereign and independent Belarus as part of a peaceful Europe.

The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Background

Since August 2020, the EU has imposed several successive rounds of individual and sectoral sanctions, against those responsible for internal repression and human rights violations in Belarus, and in the context of Belarus’ involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine. With these measures, the EU is signalling to the political and economic actors responsible that their actions and support for the regime and to Russia come at a cost.

Source – EU Council

 

Swedish Government on further EU sanctions against Belarus

The EU has decided to impose sanctions against individuals responsible for violations against human rights in Belarus and oppression of Belarusian civil society and its democratic forces.

“The Government condemns the widespread repression of all parts of Belarusian society. Sweden has advocated for further sanctions in accordance with my policy speech on Belarus in November last year. With these new measures, Sweden and the EU are demonstrating that we stand on the side of the Belarusian people and support Belarusian democratic forces and civil society,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström.

The 2020 presidential election was undemocratic and was followed by widespread popular protests. The Belarusian Government responded with violence to the protests and critical opinions of the election fraud and the regime’s long-term repressive rule. Since 2020, this repression and oppression has intensified. Abuses against large parts of the population are very serious and the number of political prisoners in the country currently exceeds 1 400 according to the human rights centre Viasna.

Source – Foreign Ministry of Sweden

 

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