US considers sanctions against Belarusians for election fraud and violence against protesters
- Officials also says the United States could consider imposing sanctions on Russia if it were to intervene overtly with force in Belarus
- Protests erupts in Belarus after the August 9 election, which opposition say was rigged in favour of President Alexander Lukashenko
The United States is considering imposing sanctions on seven Belarusians it believes were involved in falsifying the August 9 election and in violence against peaceful protesters, a senior US State Department official said on Tuesday.
“We’ve got a group of seven people that we are working with Treasury for the evidentiary package” to impose sanctions, the official said.
“It is a minimal effort to … not just name and shame but to show that when people both steal elections and commit violence against peaceful protesters exercising fundamental freedoms of assembly and speech that there needs to be some accountability,” the official added.
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Belarus protests against President Lukashenko continue with demands for new elections
Lukashenko denies electoral fraud and has shown no sign of backing down despite the threat of Western sanctions. The official did not name the seven Belarusians and noted that Lukashenko is already under US sanctions.