UK sanctions Belarusian exporters to Russia and penal colony commanders

LONDON: The UK has issued new sanctions against Belarusian businesses and penal colony commanders to mark the fourth anniversary of the “sham election” in the country that sparked mass protests.

Three commanding officers and one ex-commander of penal colonies were targeted in the sanctions announced by the Foreign Office.Two machine tool manufacturers that export goods to Russia for military-industrial use and a business operating in the Belarusian defence sector were also sanctioned.

The Foreign Office pointed to the crackdown on civil society after Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory in the disputed August 9, 2020 election in Belarus.It also said the sanctions were in response to “human rights violations and ongoing facilitation of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine”.

The UK also announced £2.5 million of planned funding to support the survival of Belarusian human rights and civil society causes in the face of continued political pressure.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “Four years on from the brutal scenes we witnessed in Belarus, Lukashenko’s relentless crackdown on civil society has shown no signs of abating: over 40,000 citizens arrested on trumped up political charges, civil society and independent media trampled and a regime with no regard for democracy or human rights.“We stand with the people of Belarus and their pursuit of freedom and democracy and call on the regime to release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.”