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UK sanctions Belarus leader Lukashenko

Tuesday, 29 September 2020 4:19 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 29 September 2020 4:40 PM ]

UK-Belarus relations have sharply deteriorated since last month's presidential election

The UK has followed through with its threat to sanction Belarusian leaders and officials on the grounds that last month’s presidential election was “rigged”.

UK to join US and Canada in imposing sanctions on Belarus

The UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab has announced that Britain will join the US and Canada to impose sanctions on the Belarusian government.

Foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, tweeted that the UK has taken “decisive action” against Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko, his chief of staff, in addition to the country’s national security adviser.

— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) September 29, 2020 ">http://

We have taken decisive action against Alexander Lukashenko, his National Security Adviser and Chief of Staff. They are banned from travelling to the UK or channelling money through UK banks.

We will hold to account those who persecute their own citizens.https://t.co/mr9Wb6mwzR pic.twitter.com/wVT4FEXdJ0
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) September 29, 2020

A press release from the Foreign Office states that the UK has imposed “landmark” sanctions on Lukashenko, his son and “senior figures” in the Belarusian government under Britain’s “new human rights sanctions regime”.

According to the Foreign Office statement, the sanctions have been imposed as part of a “coordinated international approach with Canada” with a view to holding those “responsible for repression” to account.

The sanctions impose a “travel ban” and “asset freeze” on eight key individuals in the Belarusian government.

Interestingly, contrary to earlier reports, the US has not joined the UK and Canada in sanctioning leading figures in the Belarusian establishment.

Furthermore, the UK has ignored the position of European Union states citing “delays” in Brussels in formulating a diplomatic and legal offensive against Minsk.

Belarus is important to UK foreign policy owing to the country’s longstanding alliance with Russia.

Prior to the presidential election in August the UK had tried to court the Belarusian establishment, even going as far as dispatching 30 Royal Marines to the country for a joint military exercise.