Belarus tells Britain to ‘choke’ over sanctions
Britain, the United States and Canada introduced sweeping economic sanctions against Belarus in a coordinated move yesterday, a year after Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown on protests sparked a political crisis. Mr Lukashenko denied overwhelming evidence of atrocities against protesters and lashed out at the UK. “You can choke on your sanctions in Britain!” Mr Lukashenko said, branding the country “American lapdogs”.
BRITAIN, the United States and Canada introduced sweeping economic sanctions against Belarus in a co-ordinated move yesterday, exactly a year after Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown on protests sparked a political crisis.
The measures targeting Belarus’s lucrative potash and petroleum sectors came on the anniversary of Mr Lukashenko claiming a landslide victory in the country’s disputed presidential elections.
Thousands of people have been arrested for their anti-government views in the past 12 months, and 600 Belarusians are listed as political prisoners. Poland, Latvia and Lithuania have seen a surge in asylum seekers in recent weeks and have appealed to the EU for help.
The Western sanctions target stateowned Belaruskali, one of the world’s largest producers of potash and Belarus’s main foreign currency earner.
Under Britain’s sanctions, Belarusian aircraft carriers will not be allowed to fly over or land in the UK.
Private jets owned by Mr Lukashenko’s inner circle will also be denied technical assistance in the UK. “The Lukashenko regime continues to crush democracy and violate human rights in Belarus,” said Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary.
“These sanctions demonstrate that the UK will not accept Lukashenko’s actions since the fraudulent election.”
Mr Lukashenko denied overwhelming evidence of atrocities against protesters and lashed out at the UK.
“You can choke on your sanctions in Britain!” Mr Lukashenko said, branding the country “American lapdogs”.
It came days after Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Belarus opposition leader living in exile, had a meeting with Boris Johnson, urging for more sanctions against the regime.
Last week, a Belarusian exile who helped people flee the regime was found dead in Kyiv, sparking fears of an assassination by Belarus on foreign soil.
Vitaly Shishov was found hanged in the woods near his home, Ukrainian police said. Mr Lukashenko denied any involvement in Mr Shishov’s death and blamed it on Ukraine.
“He was a nobody,” Mr Lukashenko said at a press conference at Minsk’s opulent Independence Palace.
Meanwhile, the Belarusian sprinter whose defection during the Olympics gripped the world has urged her fellow citizens to follow her lead and speak out against the Lukashenko regime. Speaking from Poland, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, 24, said she would like to return to Belarus one day, but “only when it will be safe and free”.
The Belarusian National Olympic Committee is among the organisations and individuals targeted in yesterday’s announcement, the largest round of sanctions to date, the White House said.
President Joe Biden said “the actions of the Lukashenko regime are an illegitimate effort to hold on to power at any price”. Belarusians in exile held rallies across Europe yesterday evening to mark the anniversary of what they believe was a rigged election.
Darya, a 33-year-old economist from the Minsk Tractor Factory who fled Belarus four months ago fearing reprisals for her views, told The Daily Telegraph at a rally in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius she had no hope that protests in Belarus would pick up any time soon.
“Those who could have taken to the streets are either in jail or left the country,” she said. “People have been intimidated so much that everyone is scared of going out.”