The initiative is included in the draft budget for fiscal year 2021
The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday night approved the bill “Belarus Sovereignty, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act”, which suggests the possibility of imposing sanctions against Russian and Belarusian officials of the Union State.
“This bipartisan bill updates sanctions against Belarusian government officials who impede the democratic transition,” reads a statement from a spokesman for the document’s author, Republican Congressman Christopher Smith, Jeff Sagnil.
According to an explanation to the document, it thus expands “the power of the US President to impose sanctions” in connection with the 2020 Republican elections.
“The President of the United States may impose visa sanctions against any foreigner who is a member of the Central Election Commission of Belarus or who has participated in election manipulation, or against a government official responsible for persecution of independent media, or a representative of the Union State, or a Russian citizen who has taken a significant part in the persecution of media, human rights violations relating to political repression in Belarus”, – the text reads.