UK imposes fresh Belarus sanctions after 'sham election': foreign office

Britain's foreign office on Monday said it had sanctioned six Belarus individuals and three defence sector firms, a day after a "sham election" in which autocrat Alexander Lukashenko won a seventh term.

"Following Lukashenko's brutal crackdown in which critical voices within Belarus have been silenced, yesterday's sham election failed to meet international standards and has been condemned by international partners," it said, adding that the sanctions were being imposed in coordination with Canada.

Official results showed the 70-year-old autocrat winning more than 86 percent of the vote, drawing condemnation in the West, after having imprisoned or exiled all his major opponents during his three-decade rule.

Sanctioned individuals included the head of the Belarusian Central Election Commission and two prison chiefs.

The sanctions targeted the "leaders of institutions responsible for serious human rights violations and companies in the Belarusian defence sector supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine", the foreign office said.

"The world has become well-accustomed to Lukashenko's cynical pretence of democracy in Belarus, while in reality he brutally represses civil society and opposition voices to strengthen his grip on power," British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement.

"The UK, alongside our partners, will continue to stand by the people of Belarus and expose those who deny them their legitimate right to freedom and democracy," he added.

According to the exiled Belarusian non-governmental organisation the Viasna Human Rights Centre, over 1,250 political prisoners are incarcerated in Belarus, the statement said.

The defence sector firms to be "excluded... from the UK economy" are involved in developing and manufacturing radar and weapon control systems ammunition and unmanned aerial vehicles.