Canada and allies hit Belarus with new sanctions, urge prisoners’ release

Canada and its allies on Friday called on Belarus to release the nearly 1,400 political prisoners being held in detention and laid new sanctions to mark the fourth anniversary of the country’s disputed presidential election.

The co-ordinated sanctions target Belarusian individuals and entities over what Canada and Britain said were human rights abuses committed against Belarusian citizens who protested after President Alexander Lukashenko declared victory in 2020.

A joint statement from Canada, the U.K., the United States and the European Union called that election “fraudulent.”

Additional sanctions laid by Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. also seek to put pressure on the Lukashenko regime for its support of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“Today, we are sending a clear message to the Government of Belarus: Canada will not accept the Lukashenko regime’s blatant violations of human rights,” Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement.

“We will continue to work with our international partners to ensure that the voices of the people of Belarus are heard and to hold those who support Russia’s brutal and unjustifiable war against Ukraine accountable for their crimes.”

Most independent observers believe Lukashenko lost the 2020 election. He hung onto power by imprisoning thousands and crushing months of street protests with the help of his ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Even before the election, Lukashenko’s regime had arrested opposition candidates, including activist Syarhei Tsikhanouski, who has since been sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison. His wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, ran in his place and fled to Europe after the vote, declaring herself the rightful winner and the leader of democratic Belarus.

She told Global News