Eights states joined visa bans on Belarusian officials

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Norway, Croatia, and Montenegro voted in favour of sanctions against certain Belarusian officials.

BelaPAN learnt this from the press service of the Council of the European Union.

The countries joined the decision of the EU Council of December 15, 2009, extending the ban to enter the EU for 41 Belarusian officials until October 31, 2010. At the same time, the sanctions on all except for five representatives of official Minsk were suspended. At the end of that period, the Council will review the restrictive measures in the light of the situation in Belarus.

The European Union welcomed the decision of the eight countries to join the sanctions against the Belarusian regime.

The travel bans were first imposed in 2004 on four people suspected of their involvement in political disappearances in 1999–2000, former minister of internal affairs Uladzimir Navumau, former state secretary of Security Council Viktar Sheiman, former interior minister Yury Sivakou, and former head of the special task brigade of the interior troops Dzmitry Paulichenka.

After the “parliamentary elections’ in December 2004, head of the Central Election Commission Lidzia Yarmoshyna and then commander of the Minsk riot militia Yury Padabed were added to the list.

In April 2006, the list was extended to 37 people, who were responsible for human rights violations during the presidential campaign, according to the EU. Alyaksandr Lukashenka, then head of president’s administration Henadz Nyavyhlas, deputy head of president’s administration Natallya Pyatkevich and Anatol Rubinau, minister of education Alyaksandr Radzkou, former minister of information Uladzimir Rusakevich, minister of justice Viktar Halavanau, director of the Belarusian TV and radio company Alyaksandr Zimouski, former chairman of the “house of representatives” Uladzimir Kanaplyou, member of the “council of the republic” Mikalai Charhinets were added to the list.

In October 2006, the list included 41 people: judge of the Maskouski district court of Minsk Alyaksei Rybakou, state prosecutor Syarhei Bortnik for the sentence for former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin, judge of the Tsetralny district court of Minsk Leanid Yasinovich and state prosecutor Andrei Mihun for the sentence to activists of Partnership, an unregistered NGO.

In October 2008, the EU took a decision to suspend the sanctions against 36 officials. Yarmoshyna, Navumau, Sheiman, Sivakou, and Paulichenka remain on the list.