WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2021) The United States imposed visa restrictions on additional 43 Belarusians, including high-ranking officils, accusing them of undermining the country's democracy, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced.
"Today, the U.S. Department of State took action pursuant to Presidential Proclamation (PP) 8015 to impose visa restrictions on 43 Belarusian individuals responsible for undermining Belarusian democracy, making them generally ineligible for entry into the United States," Blinken said in a statement.
The move targeted "high-ranking justice sector officials; law enforcement leaders and rank-and-file personnel who detained and abused peaceful demonstrators; judges and prosecutors involved in sentencing peaceful protesters and journalists to prison terms; and academic administrators who threatened students for participation in peaceful protests."
It followed two earlier rounds of designations that imposed visa restrictions on 66 individuals determined by the US to be responsible for "undermining Belarusian democracy."
