US Sanctions Belarus Deputy Interior Minister, Election Commission - Treasury

The United States has imposed economic sanctions on the Belarus Deputy Interior Minister Gennady Kazakevich, the country's Central Election Commission as well as on law enforcement units for their role in the presidential election and the subsequent crackdown on opposition protesters, the US Department of the Treasury announced on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd December, 2020) The United States has imposed economic sanctions on the Belarus Deputy Interior Minister Gennady Kazakevich, the country's Central Election Commission as well as on law enforcement units for their role in the presidential election and the subsequent crackdown on opposition protesters, the US Department of the Treasury announced on Wednesday.

The Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control added Kazakevich, the Central Election Commission, the Minsk Special Purpose Police Unit, the Main Internal Affairs Directorate of the Minsk City Executive Committee and KGB Alfa to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list.

"Today... OFAC designated one individual and four entities for their roles in the fraudulent August 9, 2020, presidential election in Belarus and the subsequent violent crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy protests. These designations, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13405, target individuals and entities who are responsible for, or have participated in, actions or policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions in Belarus," the statement said.

As per the designation, all the designees' assets in the United States will be blocked and Americans are barred from any dealings with them.

On August 9, Belarus held a presidential election in which incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won with slightly more than 80 percent of the vote.

However, the opposition has claimed the election was rigged and its leader, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, had won. Many Western countries have refused to recognize Lukashenko as a legitimate president and imposed sanctions. The Belarusian authorities say the crisis in the country was caused by foreign meddling.

The Treasury Department said Kazakevich was responsible for the actions of the Criminal Police in their role of carrying out a policy of violently cracking down on pro-democracy protests in Belarus.

The Minsk Special Purpose Police Unit, the Main Internal Affairs Directorate of the Minsk City Executive Committee and KGB Alpha - an elite unit of the Belarus' secret services - of being involved in "the violent post-election crackdown on and suppression of peaceful protests in Minsk, the statement said.

The Treasury Department also said the Belarus Central Election Commission was targeted for managing the August 9 election, which it claims included "a myriad of irregularities."

"The Belarusian people continually seek to peacefully exercise their basic democratic rights, and the state repeatedly responds with violent crackdowns. This action, in conjunction with those taken previously by the United States and our international partners, continue to hold accountable the individuals and organizations carrying out these unacceptable actions," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.