July 24, Pozirk. Estonia has indefinitely extended entry bans and asset freezes against key members of Alaksandar Łukašenka’s regime, the country’s public broadcaster ERR reported.
The proposal had been filed by Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna who noted that the human rights situation in Belarus had not changed for the better and Minsk supported the Russian war against Ukraine, which only heightened the need for pressure on the regime.
“For almost five years since the introduction of sanctions, there have been no positive changes in Belarus. We cannot turn a blind eye to the ongoing repression, so the sanctions must remain in place indefinitely,” Tsahkna stressed.
The list of people subject to sanctions contains 273 names, including Łukašenka, his inner circle, high-ranking officials, judges, security officials and propagandists.
The ERR said that neither Estonia nor its EU allies considered Łukašenka a “legitimate head of state.”
Speaking with TASS, a spokeswoman for Łukašenka quoted him as commenting in an apparent joke, “Unfortunately, I have never been to Estonia… And after the introduction of sanctions, I keep asking myself, will I survive?”
Tallinn first imposed sanctions on Minsk in 2020, amid large-scale protests that followed Belarus’ presidential election. The restrictive measures were later extended several times.
