EU agrees sanctions on 20 Belarus officials

The European Union on Friday agreed to impose sanctions on up to 20 senior Belarus officials suspected of election fraud and the crackdown on protesters following the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko in a contest which Belarusian opposition groups branded as rigged.

The bloc is also likely to include Lukashenko on its list at some point, with foreign ministers suggesting he may be added on Friday.

Belarus' authoritarian president of 26 years has faced weeks of protests since he was re-elected for a sixth term on Aug. 9, with 80% of the vote.

The opposition says the poll was rigged and the EU, among others, disputes the results.

In the first four days of demonstrations that followed, Belarus security forces detained almost 7,000 people and injured hundreds with rubber bullets, stun grenades and clubs, leading to the deaths of at least three people.

"We have general agreement on how the list will be structured and who will be, more or less, on the list," Czech Republic Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek told reporters, but technicalities involved in legally finalizing the list will not be concluded for at least another week.

Asked whether the Belarus president will be hit by a travel ban and asset freeze, Petricek said he believes that "Lukashenko should be on the list. The question is whether in the first stage, or a later stage if there is no progress."