ZURICH (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th December, 2020) The Swiss Federal Council on Friday introduced economic sanctions and travel bans against 15 senior Belarusian officials, including President Alexander Lukashenko.
"Financial sanctions and travel bans were imposed on 15 individuals, including President Alexander Lukashenko. The new measures come into force at 6pm [17:00 GMT] on 11 December. The sanctions are in line with the decisions taken by the EU on 6 November 2020," the Swiss government said in a statement.
The listed individuals are allegedly responsible for the use of force and arrests during protests after the August 9 presidential election in Belarus.
Lukashenko's son and national security adviser, Viktor, was also subjected to sanctions, along with Ivan Tertel, the chair of the Belarusian State Security Committee and presidential spokeswoman Natalya Eismont.
"The Federal Council also decided to amend the ordinance to include an embargo on armaments and goods that may be used for internal repression. The EU imposed a similar embargo in 2011. ... In adopting the embargo on armaments and goods that may be used for internal repression, the Federal Council is reacting to the ongoing repression of civil society and opposition groups in Belarus," the government added.
Switzerland expressed concern over the tense situation in the republic and called for dialogue between the government and civil society.
Belarus is experiencing political turmoil since the August 9 election, when Lukashenko's victory, declared by the Central Electoral Commission, was not recognized by the opposition. Large-scale anti-government protests are ongoing to this day, as the opposition and its supporters believe that candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was the true victor.
The Western countries have refused to recognize Lukashenko as president and imposed targeted sanctions against Belarusian officials, citing alleged election fraud and violence against protesters. The Belarusian authorities have repeatedly said that anti-government demonstrations in the republic were being coordinated from abroad.
