Western nations impose new sanctions on Belarus over disputed election

The United States, Britain and Canada unveiled sweeping sanctions against Belarus on Friday to mark the fourth anniversary of a contested presidential election that returned strongman President Alexander Lukashenko to power.

Moscow-ally Lukashenko crushed mass pro-democracy protests after an election on August 9, 2020, in which the government was widely condemned for allegedly falsifying results.

The US Treasury Department said it had sanctioned 19 people, 14 companies and an airplane for evading existing sanctions and for supporting Russia's war efforts in Ukraine.

"The regime's blatantly corrupt, destabilizing and anti-democratic acts -- along with its continued support for Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine -- have only further ostracized Belarus from the global community," acting Treasury counter-terrorism official Bradley Smith said in a statement.

Lukashenko has allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory for its war in Ukraine.

The US designations followed fresh sanctions announced earlier Friday by Britain against four individuals and three businesses "in response to human rights violations and ongoing facilitation of Russia's illegal invasion in Ukraine."

"The UK has today sanctioned a further seven individuals and entities on the fourth anniversary of the deeply flawed 2020 presidential elections in Belarus in coordinated action with international partners, taking the total number of sanctions against Belarus to over 200," the foreign office said in a statement.

Canada's government also unveiled sanctions Friday against 10 individuals and six entities it accused of backing the "ongoing and systematic human rights abuses in Belarus," and of supporting Russia's ongoing war efforts.

The landlocked Eastern European country saw the biggest protests in recent Belarusian history after the disputed 2020 vote, brutally shut down by Lukashenko's government.

Four years on, nearly 1,400 remain in jail and thousands have fled the country. At least six political prisoners have died in detention since 2021, according to the UK Foreign Office statement.

In a joint statement, the US, UK and Canadian governments, as well as the European Union -- which sanctioned 28 Belarusian officials earlier this week -- said they stood "in solidarity with the people of Belarus."

"We will continue to consider our options, including additional sanctions, to hold accountable those who enable the Lukashenka regime's suppression of democracy in Belarus," they added.