BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) has put dozens of Belarusian officials under sanctions over crackdowns on rights activists, media personnel, and a company supporting the Russian war on Ukraine.
Travel bans in Europe and asset freezes were imposed on 38 officials, including judges and lawyers. According to the AP, The EU also froze the assets of the state oil company Belneftekhim.
The EU said the ban comes on the company as it is a fundamental asset of the Belarusian economy and has a strong connection with Russia.
It said Belneftekhim benefits from the support of President Alexander Lukashenko to lessen the impact of Western sanctions.
The EU also extended an export ban to aviation and space industries.
EU imposes sanctions on Belarusian entities
Overall, the European body has imposed sanctions on more than 230 people and almost 40 “entities” of Balrus including banks, companies, and organizations.
Three years ago, President Alexander Lukashenko returned to power in an election that is widely believed to be fake.
Since then the rights activists and media personalities have faced large-scale repression. After the elections, massive protests erupted in Belarus questioning the results of the elections.
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A brutal crackdown against the protesters was started by the police and more than 35,000 people were arrested, while thousands were tortured in custody.
Under the police action, many non-governmental organizations and independent media outlets were closed.
