Opposition leader asks Canada to tighten sanctions against Łukašenka regime

November 22, BPN. Canada should “close the loopholes” that allow the Belarusian regime to circumvent sanctions, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatłana Cichanoŭskaja told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at their meeting in Ottawa on November 21, Voice of America reported.

Earlier, Canada sanctioned over 60 Belarusian officials and businesspeople with links to Łukašenka in response to the authorities’ support of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Prior to her meeting with Trudeau, Cichanoŭskaja told journalists that she would seek increased assistance for Belarusian civil society, independent journalists, political prisoners and their relatives.

“I will ask Canada to speak out and to take steps in support of our independence,” she said. “Today the very existence of Belarus is under threat. I will ask Canada to stay aligned with the European Union, U.S. and UK and develop a joint strategy on Belarus. We must prevent Belarus from being absorbed by Russia.”

She stressed the importance to support Belarusians’ struggle for democratic values. “When people see that they are abandoned, that they are forgotten. . . they lose this energy, they lose motivation,” she noted.

Last week, Cichanoŭskaja met with Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand, requesting assistance for 500 Belarusian volunteers fighting Russia in Ukraine. If authorities in Minsk order the Belarusian army to join the war against Ukraine, the opposition will urge it to disobey, desert, and refuse to follow orders, she said.