US Imposes New Sanctions Against Belarus

The United States has added Belarusian Central Election Commission, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Gennady Kazakevich, and a number of security units to its sanctions list.

According to a statement published on the US Treasury Department's website, the list also includes the KGB 'Alpha' unit, the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee, and the special police unit of Minsk.

The sanctions are aimed at individuals and legal entities that are responsible for or have participated in actions that obstruct democratic processes in Belarus. The security forces were included in the sanctions lists for suppressing the protests occurring in the country.

It is noteworthy that numerous protests took place in Belarus following the presidential elections held on August 9, the results of which were disputed by opposition members and their supporters. According to data published by the Central Election Commission, the current president Alexander Lukashenko won the elections, receiving more than 80 percent of the votes.