EU imposes new sanctions on Belarus
European Union foreign ministers decided on March 27 to impose restrictive measures on an additional 25 individuals and seven entities responsible of undermining democracy and the rule of law in Belarus, as well as contributing to the ongoing internal repression, human rights abuses as well as military cooperation with Russia in support of the war against Ukraine, a statement by the Council of the EU said.
The EU has listed the Central Election Commission (CEC) its deputy Chair and secretary, as well as its members.
The CEC organised the 2025 presidential elections which were neither free nor fair, conducted in a climate of repression and human rights violations, and in breach of Belarus’s OSCE commitments, the statement said.
Aleh Ramanau, the chair of the largest political party holding the majority of seats in the Belarusian parliament, was also listed.
The March 27 listings also include nine judges who have issued politically motivated sentences, including against citizens who protested against the Lukashenka regime, or who voiced dissent, thereby participating in the repression of civil society and democratic opposition.
The EU has imposed restrictive measures on notable members of the President Property Management Directorate, a Belarusian government body subordinated directly to Lukashenka, generating revenue for the regime and profiting from it.
The EU also listed other companies and businessmen supporting the Lukashenka regime and benefiting from it, such as Ridotto LLC – specialised in online gambling – and its majority shareholder Dzmitry Shvedka; Belorusskiye Loterei – running the lottery business in Belarus – and its director Mikalai Dzenisenka.
Two companies active in the military-industrial complex in Belarus and their top managers were also designated: OJSC Planar and its CEO Sergey Avakov; and Precise Electro-Mechanics Plant and its director Yuri Tchorny, as well as JSC Integral.
Restrictive measures were imposed on Tsybulka-Bel LLC, an agro-company that has coordinated with Belarusian authorities the deployment of inmates as forced labourers in direct violation of human rights.
Altogether, EU restrictive measures against Belarus now apply to 310 individuals and 46 entities.
Those designated on March 27 are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. Natural persons are additionally subject to a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through EU territories.
“The EU stands with the people of Belarus and unwaveringly supports the Belarusian people’s quest for a free, democratic, sovereign and independent Belarus as part of a peaceful Europe,” the statement said.
