US imposes sanctions on Belarusian officials for 'falsifying' election results

The United States has imposed sanctions on eight Belarusian officials for their alleged role in falsifying the results of Presidential elections and the violent crackdown on protesters. The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated those individuals following EU sanctions on 40 people, including the interior minister and the head of the election commission.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko assumed his sixth term in office in a secret inauguration ceremony amid continued protests against the regime over disputed election results. Lukashenko has dismissed the concerns of protesters, calling them “sheep" controlled from abroad. He claimed that the protesters received calls from Poland, Britain and the Czech Republic and were acting on their direction.

US Treasury Department said that the action was taken in coordination with the UK, Canada, and the EU to demonstrate the international community’s solidarity. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement that democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus have been met with violence and oppression from Belarusian officials.

“The United States and our international partners stand united in imposing costs on those who have undermined Belarusian democracy for years,” he added.

Read: Belarus Hits Back EU With Retaliatory Sanctions, Threatens 'more Serious Consequences'

Read: EU Threatens To Impose Sanctions On Turkey Over Tensions In Eastern Mediterranean

Retaliatory sanctions

Belarus protests entered its eighth week despite multiple reports of arrest and crackdowns on anti-government demonstrations. EU spared Lukashenko from sanctions, in line with its policy of punishing powerbrokers as a last resort. Belarusian government, whose legitimacy is under the scanner, announced retaliatory sanctions against unidentified officials and recalled its envoys from Poland and Lithuania. 

Threatening “more serious consequences” if the EU intensifies the “sanctions flywheel”, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said that it could abandon the joint programs and projects or revise the diplomatic relations it currently shares with the union. The ministry added that Belarus has always been against confrontation but is determined to respond to “unfriendly actions” to protect national security.

“Belarus is always, in words and in deeds, against confrontation. We are for dialogue and understanding. But as a sovereign state, we’re also determined, albeit not without regret, to respond to unfriendly actions in order to naturally defend our national interests,” the statement read.

Read: Merkel Says EU Sanction On Belarus 'important Signal' For Those Who Hinder Democracy

Read: European Union Slaps Sanctions On Belarus Officials For 'falsifying' Election Results