Opposition leader urges EU to step up sanctions against Łukašenka

May 22, BPN. As the European Union is preparing to discuss new sanctions against Russia it should keep in mind Russia’s accomplice Alaksandr Łukašenka, said Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja.

She urged the EU to uphold all existing sanctions and introduce new restrictions, among them the closure of all EU-Belarus borders, except for passenger traffic.

Easing sanctions on Belarusian potash fertilizers would not solve the problem of food security in the world but will “only finance Łukašenka’s private war chest and torture prisons in Belarus,” the politician noted.

“It’s high time for EU members to utilize their national legislations to hold those who perpetrate violence against the Belarusian people accountable under universal jurisdiction,” she tweeted and called for the investigation of Łukašenka’s crimes against humanity in Belarus.

Łukašenka participates in Russia’s war on Ukraine and is complicit in the deportation of Ukrainian children, Cichanoŭskaja added. “Any attempts to appease the regime, or soften the pressure, will lead to greater impunity and cause even more suffering,” she stressed.

“We are counting on your solidarity and determination to bring Łukašenka to justice,” Cichanoŭskaja said.