UK prepares sanctions for human rights violations in Belarus
The UK will join up with the US and Canada to target those responsible for human rights abuses in the country.
Thursday 24 September 2020 15:55, UK
The UK is preparing sanctions for human rights violations in Belarus, the foreign secretary has said.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Dominic Raab said Alexander Lukashenko, who was sworn in as president in a secret ceremony on Wednesday, has "a wholesale lack of legitimacy".
Mr Raab said Britain does not accept the results of the rigged election and condemned the "thuggery" imposed on protesters in Belarus.
He told the House of Commons it is "critical those responsible for the fraudulent elections and human rights violations are held to account."
He said although the UK was willing to join the EU's plans for targeted sanctions, delays in Brussels meant the UK would join other allies to adopt targeted sanctions against those responsible for human rights abuses.
He has decided to direct the Foreign Office to coordinate with the US and Canada instead.
He said: "Given the delay and Lukashenko's fraudulent inauguration I've directed the Foreign Office's sanction team to prepare MagnitAG百家乐在线官网 sanctions for those responsible for serious human rights violations.
"We are coordinating with US and Canada to prepare appropriate listings as a matter of urgency.
"We will apply all the tools at our disposal to hold Lukashenko and his regime to account."
Mr Raab also told the Commons the UK will double the amount of financial support given to human rights groups, independent media organisations and community groups, totalling an extra £1.5 million over the next two years.
This includes £800,000 of support for journalists, in particular, in Belarus, to help "shine a light" on repression there.
Thousands of Belarusians took to the streets of the capital Minsk and other cities on Wednesday evening, protesting the unannounced inauguration of President Alexander Lukashenko that took place in the morning.
Police fiercely dispersed the crowds; in Minsk officers used truncheons and water cannons, leaving dozens injured. More than 360 protesters were detained.
It follows nearly seven weeks of rallies against the authoritarian leader's re-election, which the opposition says was rigged.
The EU said on Thursday that the swearing in of Mr Lukashenko lacks democratic legitimacy, defies the will of the Belarusian people and will only deepen the country's political crisis.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell reiterated that the 27-nation bloc did not recognize the result of the 9 August election that kept Mr Lukashenko in power after 26 years.
He said: "This 'inauguration' directly contradicts the will of large parts of the Belarusian population, as expressed in numerous, unprecedented and peaceful protests since the elections."
On Monday, EU foreign ministers failed to impose sanctions on Belarus officials suspected of election fraud or of playing a part in a brutal security crackdown on the post-election protests, despite appeals from Mr Lukashenko's main opponent to take action.
Cyprus continues to block the sanctions until similar measures are slapped on Turkey for its disputed energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
EU leaders will try to break the deadlock when they meet in Brussels on 1 October.