The US State Department has sanctioned two high-ranking Belarusian officers “for involvement in gross violations of human rights, particularly the arbitrary detention of non violent protesters,” and can transfer to impose visa restrictions “on 100 regime officers and their associates for his or her involvement in undermining or injuring democratic establishments or impeding the transition to democracy,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated Tuesday.
The measures had been introduced on the second one anniversary of the election in Belarus – a fraudulent election and one wherein longtime strongman chief Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory. It sparked huge protests all over the rustic.
“The Belarusian other people have demonstrated exceptional resilience in maintaining the pro-democracy motion for 2 years at nice non-public sacrifice. These requires democracy are voiced via Belarusians exiled in a foreign country, over 1,200 political prisoners unjustly detained within the nation, and numerous atypical Belarusian electorate,” Blinken stated in a remark.
“Their non violent requires democracy had been met with unparalleled brute pressure and a consolidated crackdown via the Lukashenka regime,” he stated.
The two people sanctioned Tuesday — Mikalai Karpiankou, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Commander of the Internal Troops, and Dzmitriy Balaba, the Commander of the Special Task Police Force (OMON) of the Minsk City Executive Committee of Internal Affairs — “performed an important function within the repression surrounding the fraudulent August 9, 2020 presidential election,” Blinken stated.
“Today’s motion expands current restrictions on Karpiankou and Balaba to incorporate visa restrictions towards their instant members of the family, together with Karpiankou’s spouse Irina and grownup son Igor, and Balaba’s spouse Tatyana and grownup sons Artem and Maksim, making them ineligible for access into the United States,” he stated.
According to Blinken, the brand new tranche of the ones going through visa restrictions comprises “the ones retaining high-ranking positions within the Administration of the President, Ministry of Interior, State Security Committee (KGB), the Central Election Commission, the Prosecutor General’s Office, Central Office of the Investigative Committee, Ministry of Transport and Communication, Main Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOPiK), the National State TV and Radio Company ‘Belteleradio,’ the Second National Television Station, and the Air Force and Air Defense Forces,” in addition to “contributors of Parliament, district judges, safety officers, contributors of govt committees, and state college directors.”
“Individuals matter to the proclamation had been implicated in torture; violent arrests of non violent protesters; raids of houses and places of work of newshounds, contributors of the opposition, and activists; coerced confessions; electoral fraud; politically motivated sentences of political prisoners; expulsion of scholars for participation in non violent protests; passage of law impacting the joy of basic freedoms; and acts of transnational repression,” Blinken stated.
Source Link: https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-08-09-22/index.html