The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has imposed visa restrictions on 25 individuals in Belarus for their roles in a politically motivated trial against a government-opposition candidate living in exile, the DOS announced recently.
The DOS imposed the visa restrictions under Presidential Proclamation 8015 for their "involvement in undermining democracy" in connection to a trial in absentia of Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the democratic opposition leader living in exile in Lithuania, and other democratic activists on bogus charges, DOS Sec. Antony Blinken announced Jan. 17.
"These politically motivated trials are the latest examples of the (Belarus Pres. Alexander) Lukashenka regime’s efforts to intimidate and repress those who seek justice, respect for human rights, and a democratic Belarus," Blinken said in the statement.
Blinken stated in a post to Twitter at the time that the trials are "illustrative of its repression" and the visa restrictions were levied against "25 regime officials who passed legislation to repress pro-democracy actors."
Tsikhanouskaya ran against Lukashenka in 2020. She fled to Lithuania after the election and continues to lead pro-democracy efforts in Belarus from Vilnius. On Jan. 16, she posted on Twitter that the trial changes "nothing" for her.
"It is just the revenge of a pathetic dictator who lost power & tries to take revenge on all who stood up for freedom," Tsikhanouskaya said in the post. "Belarus needs real justice, not a puppet show."
The DOS has imposed visa restrictions on 322 people in Belarus since its fraudulent 2020 elections, the agency states in the announcement. presidential election. Blinken stated the DOS will "continue to use all appropriate tools to hold to account those in Belarus standing in the way of their fellow citizens’ democratic aspirations."
"We will not stand by as this regime continues to harass and repress peaceful protesters, the democratic opposition, journalists, unionists, activists, human rights defenders, and everyday Belarusians," Blinken stated in the announcement.
