Canada And The United States Hit Belarus With Dozens of Sanctions

(NewsReady.com) – Belarus has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since the beginning. The nation has even provided support to the invading forces. The US and Canada recently took more action against Belarus’ government.

On April 15, the US Department of Treasury announced it expanded sanctions against Belarus. The latest action was taken against 10 individuals and 12 entities. According to a press release, the measures are intended to put pressure on President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s administration for its continued support of Russia’s invasion.

Brian E. Nelson, the under secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said Lukashenko’s regime is using revenue from state-owned enterprises “to fund its violent suppression of its citizens and to circumvent [US] sanctions.” He promised his department would continue to use all of the tools it has to hold the regime accountable for its participation in the Russian war in Ukraine.

Canada also took action against Belarus with another round of sanctions. On the day of the Treasury’s announcement, officials in Ottawa revealed measures targeting 21 former and current senior members of the government, including public prosecutors, members of the judiciary system, and members of the security forces.

The foreign ministry cited ongoing human rights violations in Belarus that began after Lukashenko’s regime held a sham election in 2020 and declared him the winner. Mass protests broke out in the country, prompting the government to use brutal force against its citizens to stop the uprising.

Reuters reported the Canadian government accused the newly sanctioned individuals of being involved or complicit in the “arrests and detentions, brutality, intimidation and excessive use of force against” civilians who protested the 2020 elections.

Lukashenko has long contended that he won the elections and accused the US and its Western allies of trying to overthrow his government.

The Canadian sanctions came days before Foreign Minister Melanie Joly met with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled opposition leader from Belarus.