The European Union on Friday took the first step to impose new sanctions on Belarus over a disputed election last Sunday and a crackdown on protests that followed, instructing its foreign policy arm to prepare a blacklist of responsible individuals.
FILE PHOTO: President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen wears a protective face mask as she attends a plenary session at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium July 8, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman/Pool/File Photo
The EU first imposed sanctions on Belarus in 2004. It tightened them in 2011 over abuses of human rights and democratic standards, including vote rigging. “What happened in Belarus in the last few days is completely unacceptable and calls for a clear reaction of the EU,” Germany’s Haiko Maas told reporters.
Vilnius called for an EU fund to support victims of repression in Belarus while Warsaw said it would loosen visa restrictions, open its labour market for Belarusians and support civil society and independent media there. The new sanctions on Belarus would come in the form of visa bans and the freezing of any assets held in the EU by the designated individuals and could be finalised as soon as the end of the month, diplomatic sources said.
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