The Supreme House of the Belarusian Parliament – Council of the President of France for the elections on Wednesday, May 4, a review that allows sentencing to death for “attempted terrorism and terrorist acts of figures” when aggravating circumstances are identified. The lower house of parliament adopted this draft on 27 April. For the document to be valid, it must be written by the ruler of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.
The authors of the project for the implementation of the forecast suggest that the law will be tightened by the fact that “in the statement of Belarus there is a possibility that the situation will naturally increase the degree of offenses” of fear in society.
To the death penalty, according to the document, the incidence in the commission of crimes “related to the death of people”: attempts on foreign foreign politicians and international organizations, the spread of a terrorist attack, including using nuclear, alleged or biological diseases, as well as attempts on politicians and numerous actors in influencing decision-making on weight loss, intimidation of the population, destabilization of public order.
The death penalty as a threat to the opposition
Chairman of the Standing Committee on Legislative and State Building of the Council of the Republic Sergei Sivets, reading out the explanations to the review, said that such changes in the laws of the republic are “proportionate” to the threat to public security, and it is topical to consider the issue of the death penalty without discussion.
Belarus is the only country in Europe where the death penalty exists in the legislation as a measure of the machine. In the last ten years, she has rarely been involved – several times a year, but international human rights activists have repeatedly said that such punishment can be the limits of repression and attacks for oppositionists on trumped-up criminal cases.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka has said in the past that he cannot eliminate the death penalty because of legislation, as it is “the will of the people”, although the last time the state assembly officially voted on this issue was in a referendum in 1996.
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The war in Ukraine and the verdict of the West against Minsk
For helping in the war
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Western countries imposed unprecedented sanctions not only on Moscow, but also on Minsk – for complicity in the war. The EU blacklist includes 22 military leaders from Belarus, including assistant defense minister Leonid Kasinsky and Igor Mozhilovsky. Earlier, another 20 officials and military personnel were banned from entering the EU and their accounts and property were frozen on its territory.
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The war in Ukraine and the verdict of the West against Minsk
Wood, cement, tobacco
The EU has expanded restrictions on the supply of dual-use goods and technologies to Belarus, as well as goods and technologies that regulate the development of the military and defense security of the Republic of Belarus. The export from Belarus of products made of cement, iron, steel and rubber, potassium chloride, as well as the import of goods for tobacco products, internal combustion and other products into the Republic of Belarus is prohibited.
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The war in Ukraine and the verdict of the West against Minsk
Euro banknotes
Three Belarusian banks – Belagroprombank, Dabrabyt and the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus, as well as their subsidiaries, were disconnected from the SWIFT system. The EU banned transactions with the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus, as well as the financing of trade and investment in the country. low prices allow banks to accept deposits from Belarusian citizens in excess of 100,000 euros. The EU will also not supply euro banknotes to Belarus.
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The war in Ukraine and the verdict of the West against Minsk
Funding programs
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has suspended the access of Russia and Belarus to their finances and expertise. This means refusing to finance new projects. In addition, the bank enjoys all the rights to suspend or cancel payments for existing projects. Earlier, the EBRD closed its offices in Moscow and Minsk. All their programs in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus and the World Bank.
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The war in Ukraine and the verdict of the West against Minsk
US sanctions
The United States introduced against 24 Belarusian individuals and legal entities involved in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Among them are two state-owned banks – Belinvestbank and Dabrabyt, as well as a number of defense industry enterprises and security agencies. Personal sanctions affected the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus Viktora Khrenin, State Secretary of the Security Council Alexander Volfovich and businessman Alexander Zaitsev from Lukashenka’s entourage.
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The war in Ukraine and the verdict of the West against Minsk
Defense, aerospace and maritime sector
On April 1, Washington was included in the sanctions list of organizations associated with the defense, aerospace and maritime sectors. Among the Belarusian organizations and enterprises that fell into it are the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus, the Alfa association of the KGB, the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant, the State Military Industrial Committee of the Republic, Agat-Electromechanical Plant OJSC, Beltechexport CJSC and others.
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The war in Ukraine and the verdict of the West against Minsk
Luxury items
In addition, the US Department of Commerce banned the supply of 600 types of luxury items not only in Russia, but also in Belarus. The embargo includes alcohol, cosmetics, perfumes, clothes, accessories, shoes, furs, bags, carpets, antiques, jewelry, motorcycles and cars.
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The war in Ukraine and the verdict of the West against Minsk
Swiss sanctions
Switzerland also tightened sanctions against Belarus. The export to Belarus of dual-use goods and goods that meet the standards of the military-technical development of Belarus is prohibited. The list of sanctioned products for import from Belarus has also been expanded: these are products made of wood, rubber, iron, steel and cement. A ban on financing trade and investment in the Republic of Belarus, as well as transactions with the National Bank.
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The war in Ukraine and the verdict of the West against Minsk
Japanese embargo
Japan imposed an embargo on exports to the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus of almost 300 types of goods and technologies: semiconductors, equipment for communications and oil refining, modern types of materials, programs for machine tools. The black list includes 12 organizations, including Synesis and Beltechexport, and 12 individuals – Alexander Lukashenko’s sons Viktor and Dmitry, Lukashenka’s press secretary Natalya Eismont, Interior Minister Ivan Kubrakov and others.
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The war in Ukraine and the verdict of the West against Minsk
The Lukashenka family is blacklisted in Australia
The Australian Foreign Ministry put on Alexander Lukashenko, his wife Galina and son Viktor (pictured left). In addition, the Australian government has abolished the right to most favored nation (MFN) tariff treatment. From April 25, additional customs duties in the amount of 35% on the import of goods from Russia and Belarus begin to operate in the country.
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The war in Ukraine and the verdict of the West against Minsk
Other calls of the West against Belarus
New cases of application to a number of restrictions adopted against Minsk for complicity in illegal cases, in which the West accuses the Lukashenka regime. In addition, the sanctions were introduced in response to the dispersal of global protests and ongoing repression in Belarus after the 2020 elections. Read about them in the article “Migrants, Ryanair, repression: what are the demands of the West against Minsk?”
Author: Anna Shtork