US imposes sanctions against individuals responsible for attempting to forcibly repatriate Belarusian Olympian Cimanoŭskaja

February 4, BPN. The US announced the introduction of visa sanctions against individuals responsible for the attempt to forcibly repatriate Belarusian Olympian Kryscina Cimanoŭskaja during the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games last year.

The US authorities used a new mechanism known as “Khashoggi Ban”, allowing the Department of State to “impose visa restrictions on individuals who, acting on behalf of a foreign government, are believed to have been directly engaged in serious, extraterritorial counter-dissident activities, including those that suppress, harass, surveil, threaten, or harm journalists, activists, or other persons perceived to be dissidents for their work, or who engage in such activities with respect to the families or other close associates of such persons.” Family members of these officials may also be subject to visa restrictions under this mechanism.

It was named after the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a long-term resident of the United States who was murdered three and a half years ago at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

“Today’s actions target multiple Belarusian nationals for their involvement in serious, extraterritorial counter-dissident activity. The United States condemns all such activity, including the attempt to forcibly repatriate Belarusian Olympian Kryscina Cimanoŭskaja during the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games last year,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

He also commended “the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation’s efforts to support and protect the human rights of athletes amid ongoing ongoing repression of Belarusians inside and outside the country.” “We stand in solidarity with Ms. Cimanoŭskaja and all others who have experienced the regime’s attempts to silence criticism,” the US Secretary of State stressed.

He said that the action was part of a comprehensive effort to prevent and respond to acts of transnational repression by any government targeting journalists, activists, and dissidents.

“The United States reaffirms its support for the people of Belarus and once again calls on the Lukašenka regime to end its crackdown on members of civil society, independent media, the political opposition, athletes, students, legal professionals, and other Belarusians; to immediately release all political prisoners; to engage in sincere facilitated dialogue with the democratic opposition and civil society; to fulfill its international human rights obligations; to stop its coercion of vulnerable people and its retaliatory action against governments and groups that assist them; and to hold free and fair elections under international observation. We will continue working with the international community to hold accountable those responsible for repression and human rights violations and abuses in Belarus,” Blinken said.

On January 19, US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights Uzra Zeya met with representatives of the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation (BSSF).

She expressed “her admiration for the courage of Belarusian athletes who have faced reprisals for exercising their right to freedom of expression.”

The representative of the State Department confirmed “strong US support for the Belarusian people’s democratic aspirations.”

BSSF reported that the meeting concluded with an agreement “to develop a set of tools to support Belarusian athletes (scholarships, internships, training), as well as ensuring media support for the Foundation’s activities.”

The attempt to repatriate Kryscina Cimanoŭskaja was made after her public conflict with Artur Šumak, deputy director of the Belarusian Republican Olympic Training Center in Athletics and Jury Majsevič, athletics head coach. At the Tokyo airport, she sought help from the police. From Japan, she flew to Austria, and then to Poland, where she now lives.