On the fourth anniversary of the disputed 2020 presidential elections in Belarus, the UK announced new sanctions against seven additional individuals and entities. This brings the total number of sanctions against Belarus to over 200.
According to the UK government press service reports that the new sanctions target commanders of four penal facilities where political prisoners were held and where numerous human rights violations were documented.
Additionally, the UK has imposed sanctions on three Belarusian defense and military-industrial companies that supported Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine by providing equipment, logistical support, and allowing the use of Belarusian territory and airspace for attacks.
The sanctions prevent these companies from conducting business with British firms.
These measures highlight the UK's and its allies' determination to continue applying pressure on Lukashenko's regime for its repressive actions within the country and its support of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
The individuals and entities affected by the sanctions include:
- Denis Anatolievich TOLSTENKOV: commanding officer of penal colony 4
- Andrei Sergeevich PALCHYK: former commanding officer of penal colony 1
- Filip Vladimirovich STURCHANKA: commanding officer of penal colony 3
- Aleksey Valerievich LAZARENKO: commanding officer of penal colony 15
- OJSC StankoGomel: a Belarusian machine tool manufacturer exporting goods to Russia for use in the Russian military industrial sector
- JSC NIIEVM: a Government of Belarus affiliated entity carrying on business in the Belarusian defence sector
- Ruchservomotor LLC: a Belarusian machine tool manufacturer exporting goods to Russia for use in the Russian military industrial sector
Alongside sanctions, the UK is announcing planned funding of £2.5 million this financial year to supporting Belarusian human rights and civil society causes, including further funding to the International Accountability Platform Belarus - a coalition that collect, verify, and preserve evidence of gross human rights violations constituting crimes under international law allegedly committed by Belarusian authorities.
Since August 2020, the Belarusian authorities have made over 40,000 politically motivated arrests and pursued at least 12,000 politically motivated criminal cases. According to the Viasna Human Rights Centre, a Belarusian non-governmental organisation, 1389 political prisoners remain incarcerated in Belarus, including human rights defenders, journalists, members of the democratic opposition and trade unionists.
At least 6 political prisoners have died in detention since 2021, while many others remain held in appalling conditions, subject to violence, deprived of medical attention and starved of contact with the outside world.
