Saturday, May 26, 2012

EU Widens Scope Of Belarus Sanctions

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By RFE/RL

January 23, 2012

BRUSSELS -- The European Union's foreign ministers today agreed to widen the scope of the 27-member bloc's sanction regime against Belarus.

The move allows Brussels to freeze assets and impose visa bans on individuals who are responsible for serious human rights violations.

It also includes those guilty of repression against the country's civil society and political opposition, and those who benefit from or support President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime financially.

The EU has already put more than 200 individuals, as well as three companies, on its sanctions list due to their involvement in the crackdown that followed the flawed presidential election in December 2010.

No new names have been added under the new criteria but a "substantial" number can be added in the coming weeks and months.

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Comments

by: Jack from: US

January 23, 2012 21:55

do Belarus authorities execute people for choosing "wrong" relegion, like Saudi Arabia does? Or do Belarus authorities stone people for adultery, like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, and other allies of US government do?
Perhaps Lukashenko needs to learn from Saudi Arabia what it takes to get into "major ally" status with US government

by: Eugenio from: Vienna

January 23, 2012 22:13

These Euro-guys decided to sanction everybody before they go bankrupt: Iran, Belarus, Venezuela, Putin (because he is bad), N. Korea (because it did not collapse, as the EU/US has been hoping for the last 20 years), Serbia (because Tadic has not been kissing up to them intensively enough), the Taliban (because they continue killing NATO soldiers in Afghanistan for the last 10 years), Pakistan (because they take money from the US govt and then transfer it to the bank account of Mullah Omar), the outer space (because US spaceships explode there far too often, killing US astronauts every time), Cuba (because they can not get rid of Fidel for the last 50 years), Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Syria, Yanukovich (because he sent Julia into jail), China (because the Chinese economy grows, while the European and North-American ones are shrinking) etc etc etc. Just sanction the entire world: this way just like everyone will feel a huge relief once EU/US have bankrupt :-)).

by: Jack from: US

January 23, 2012 22:40

Lukashenko should convert to Wahhabi Sunni Islam. Then he will be free to kill all his opponents, and kill all non-muslims, and trade their organs for profit, while enjoying most favored status with EU and full NATO protection