US President Joe Biden will sign a corresponding decree on Monday, including because of Lukashenko’s “attack on the democratic aspirations and human rights of the Belarusian people,” said the White House in Washington.
The National Olympic Committee (NOK) of Belarus is also the target of sanctions by the US Treasury. In May, Lukashenko’s government forced a Ryanair plane to land and arrested the anti-government blogger Roman Protassewitsch and his partner Sofia Sapega, who was sitting in the plane. “Since then, the regime has only expanded its repression, including by threatening the safety of a Belarusian athlete,” said the US government spokesman, referring to sprinter Kristina Timanovskaya. The athlete went into exile in Poland last week after conflicts with sports officials at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Lukashenko, who has ruled for almost three decades, was declared the winner of the election in Belarus last August despite massive accusations of fraud. This triggered historic mass protests, which were brutally suppressed by the security forces. In June, the EU, the USA, Great Britain and Canada imposed new punitive measures against those responsible and companies from Belarus in a coordinated action.
