U.S. Imposes Sanctions Against 43 Belarusian Officials, Judges, Prosecutors, Law Enforcement Officers, And University Employees

The head of the State Department said he supports our country's brave people.

The U.S. imposes sanctions on 43 citizens of Belarus for "undermining democracy". This was stated in a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

- Today the U.S. State Department acted on Presidential Proclamation 8015 to impose visa restrictions on 43 Belarusian individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Belarus. This means that they are basically deprived of the right to enter the United States, - the document says.

The statement notes that the U.S. is concerned about the continuing brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters, activists and journalists, the February 16 searches in the human rights organization Viasna, the Belarusian Association of Journalists and independent trade unions, as well as the February 18 sentencing of journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Darja Chultsova.

According to Blinken, the new sanction list includes high-ranking court officials, senior law enforcement officials and rank-and-file employees who detained protesters, as well as judges, prosecutors and employees of universities.

He reminded that the U.S. had already twice imposed visa restrictions on citizens of Belarus and Russia for "undermining democracy in Belarus" - a total of 66 people.

- The United States continues to support international efforts to carry out an independent investigation of the electoral violations in Belarus and the repression that followed. We support the brave people of Belarus and their right to free and fair elections, - the statement reads.