WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – The US government has further tightened sanctions against Belarus. Specifically, two state-owned companies, the central election commission, the presidential plane of ruler Alexander Lukashenko and several individuals are affected by the punitive measures, the US Treasury Department announced on Friday. The background to the sanctions is the brutal crackdown by the Lukashenko government against the country’s democracy movement, human rights violations and support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the US State Department said.
One consequence of the sanctions is that any assets of those affected will be frozen in the United States – US citizens would be prohibited from doing business with them. International business is also usually made much more difficult for those affected by the sanctions. The government aircraft is also affected by the sanctions as property from which Lukashenko benefits, the Ministry of Finance said. In addition, visa restrictions were issued against 14 individuals./htg/DP/stw