New EU sanctions on Belarus, which were adopted on Monday, should not be the last, said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
“What we have experienced in recent months is unacceptable, constant violations of human rights. We must be determined that the sanctions that we adopted today are not the last”,- Maas said in Brussels.
“It was a difficult process, but we reached a consensus, which I am very pleased with. It also shows that many countries that have economic relations with Belarus are ready to take losses in order to impose these sanctions. This is a signal that we are very decisive , so as not to give in. Neither today, nor in the coming months it will not change”, – the minister said.
After the presidential elections in Belarus on August 9, 2020, in which Alexander Lukashenko won for the sixth time, who, according to the CEC, gained 80.1% of the vote, massive opposition protests began in the country, to suppress which the security forces, among other things, used special means and special equipment. On February 11, the KGB of Belarus announced that the situation in the country had stabilized, the peak of the protests had passed, their manifestations had practically disappeared.
The opposition considers Tikhanovskaya to be the winner of the elections, initiates the expansion of international sanctions against official Minsk and the holding of new elections. In Belarus, criminal cases have been initiated against a number of opposition leaders, including calls for the seizure of power, the creation of an extremist group, a conspiracy to seize state power by unconstitutional means, and attempted terrorist attacks. Tikhanovskaya, who has left for Lithuania, who is also a defendant in criminal cases, is included in the list of persons involved in terrorist activities; Minsk is seeking her extradition.