Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed Decree Nr128 ‘On the Application of Special Measures’, the press service reported on Tuesday.

The document provides for the imposition of economic sanctions by Belarus on the states that introduced restrictions against Belarusian individuals and entities.

According to the Belarusian side, the new decree aims at ‘ensuring safeity and protecting the national interests of the state’. It prohibits the import of certain categories of goods and services from the countries that slapped sanctions on Belarus.

The Belarusian Council of Ministers is entrusted to make the detailed lists of sanctioned goods and services. The Council is also expected to give the names of foreign citizens and companies which might be subject to Belarus’ sanctions.

As reported earlier, the Council of the EU decided to prolong until 28 February 2022 the restrictive measures targeting high-level officials responsible for the violent repression and intimidation of peaceful demonstrators, members of the opposition and journalists in Belarus, as well as those responsible for electoral fraud. The EU sanctions also target economic actors, prominent businesspeople and companies benefiting from and/or supporting the Lukashenka regime. The restrictive measures consist of a ban on travel to the EU and an asset freeze for listed persons – currently 88 individuals, including Alyksandr Lukashenka – and an asset freeze applicable to 7 entities. In addition, EU persons and entities are forbidden from making funds available to those listed, either directly or indirectly.

In February, the US House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs unanimously adopted a resolution calling for further targeted sanctions coordinated between the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other allies and partners against Belarusian authorities who committed human rights violations and authorities from the electoral commission who engaged in activities that resulted in the falsification of the election results. Moreover, a new free and fair election under Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe observation should be held in Belarus, they believe.

(c) Belsat