Switzerland has imposed sanctions on 27 Belarusians believed to have been involved in repression and human rights violations since Belarus's disputed 2020 presidential election. The individuals targeted include senior Interior Ministry figures, prison officials, state-media figures, and judges. Earlier this month, the European Union imposed similar sanctions targeting 28 Belarusians. Following the August 2020 election that gave strongman leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth presidential term, mass pro-democracy demonstrations broke out across Belarus. The demonstrations were brutally suppressed. In the ensuing years, officials have imprisoned hundreds of demonstration participants, often holding leading activists in near-complete isolation and denying many prisoners adequate medical care. To read the original story by Current Time, click here.
Swiss Sanctions Target Belarusian Rights Abusers
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya (file photo)