Monitoring Desk
BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) said Monday that it had extended sanctions on Belarus for one-year over its continued repression of the opposition and its support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The bloc has hit Belarus with multiple sanctions since strongman Alexander Lukashenko launched a vicious campaign of repression against demonstrators protesting against a disputed election in 2020.
Lukashenko, who has been in power for around three decades, is a crucial ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The sanctions have been extended till February 28, 2024, the European Council, representing 27 EU member states, announced in a statement.
On Monday, Prosecutors in Belarus asked the courts to detain a close aide, Pavel Latushko, and opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya to 19 years in jail as they are tried in absentia.
Both Tikhanovskaya and Latushko now live outside Belarus.
195 Belarusian individuals banned from entering EU
Lukashenko and 194 other individuals close to his government have been banned from entering the European Union, and their assets have been frozen.
The sanctions also target 34 organizations, and all European funding is banned.
Belarus is also subject to economic sanctions, including trade, financial sector, technology, transport, telecommunications, and energy restrictions.
