Six Belarusian officials and three companies have been hit with British sanctions in response to a “cynical pretence of democracy” in the country’s elections.
The UK and Canada have joined forces to impose the fresh wave of sanctions after “sham” presidential elections were held in Belarus on Sunday, which saw Vladimir Putin’s ally Alexander Lukashenko win a seventh five-year term in power.
Among the six people facing sanctions are the chairman of Belarus’ election commission Igor Vasilyevich Karpenko.
Others facing a ban on travelling to the UK and spending money in the country are the leaders of security forces and prisons involved in a crackdown on the Belarusian regime’s political opponents.
They include Viktor Alexandrovich Dubrovka, Pavel Ivanovich Kazakov, and Andrey Mikhailovich Tsedrik, who all manage prisons in the eastern European nation, as well as Andrei Valerievich Ananenko and Mikhail Petrovitch Bedunkevich, the head and deputy head of the security force Gubopik.
Three Belarusian defence companies have also been sanctioned because of the country’s support for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
They are radar manufacturer Alevkurp OJSC, ammunition maker Legmash Plant JSC, and drone builder KB Unmanned Helicopters (UavHeli).
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “The world has become well-accustomed to Lukashenko’s cynical pretence of democracy in Belarus, while in reality he brutally represses civil society and opposition voices to strengthen his grip on power.
“The UK, alongside our partners, will continue to stand by the people of Belarus and expose those who deny them their legitimate right to freedom and democracy.”
Following the latest sham election in Belarus, the UK has placed new sanctions on those supporting Lukashenko's brutal regime.
The UK stands with the people of Belarus and their right to freedom and democracy, without fear and oppression. https://t.co/Rh6urdQHcR
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) January 27, 2025
On Sunday, the UK joined its allies Australia, Canada, the EU and New Zealand in issuing a joint statement condemning the result of Belarus’ presidential election.
“We are united in our condemnation of the sham presidential elections in Belarus on 26 January and the ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by the Belarusian regime.
“Recently announced sanctions represent a co-ordinated, multilateral effort to hold the Lukashenko regime to account,” the statement said.
The five Western allies urged the Lukashenko regime to release the more than 1,250 “political prisoners who remain unjustly detained”.
