The European Union has dropped eight names from a list of Belarusian officials subject to EU sanctions over human rights abuses.
However, the EU Council has added one name to the list.
"In the light of the continuing gravity of the human rights situation, it added one person to the list of those subject to restrictions," a council statement on July 8 said. "At the same time, it considered that there are no longer grounds for keeping eight individuals subject to sanctions."
A total of 225 individuals, including President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, currently are subject to EU travel bans and all of them, plus 25 companies, are subject to asset freezes.
The blacklist was drawn up in January 2011, after a brutal police crackdown on a protest following the 2010 presidential election.
Based on reporting by BelaPAN, Charter97, and ITAR-TASS
