EU Imposes Visa Ban On Belarusian President

The ban is a response to what Brussels says were Belarus's rigged presidential elections on March 19 and a subsequent crackdown on opposition activists.

Lukashenka won a third term, claiming 82.6 percent of the vote. His nearest rival, opposition candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich, took just 6 percent.

The ban prohibits Lukashenka and the 30 other officials from traveling to any of the 25 EU states.  

In a statement, the EU foreign ministers said the banned officials were "responsible for the violations of international electoral standards and international human rights law" for their crackdown on opposition activists.

The EU has suggested that further sanctions -- such as freezing the Belarusian leadership's assets in the EU -- remain possible.

Belarus has dismissed the ban as "ineffective" and "short-sighted."

(with agency reports)