Switzerland joins EU in sanctions against top Belarus officials
Riot police clashed with protesting pensioners in central Minsk on Monday.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
The Swiss government has imposed financial and travel sanctions against 40 former and current officials in Belarus who are accused of violence and arbitrary arrests following controversial elections in the country.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/jdp
العربية
ar
برن تنضم إلى بروكسل في العقوبات المفروضة على عدد من كبار المسؤولين في روسيا البيضاء
According to the announcement from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) on Tuesday, the list of officials includes Interior Minister Yuri Karayev for his role in “repression and an intimidation campaign” in the wake of the election. The measures, which come into force at 18:00 Central European time on October 13, include blocking financial assets and a ban on entry into Switzerland.
The officials have been added to a list of sanctioned officialsExternal link and institutions as part of measures imposed in 2006 against Belarus officials due to violations of the rule of law in the presidential election in March 2006. The last time the list was updated was in 2016.
The European Union had already announced sanctions against the 40 officials. On Monday, EU foreign ministers agreed to impose sanctions on Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko if he doesn’t pursue serious talks with the opposition about new elections and eases a crackdown against protesters.
According to SECO, the Swiss government is concerned about the tense situation in the country following elections that led to weeks of violent confrontations between the police and protestors.
Switzerland has called on Belarus to comply with international human rights obligations including the release of all arbitrarily detained persons and the investigation of allegations of torture or ill-treatment by security forces.
Popular Stories
More
Banking & Fintech
Luxury heir claims his CHF11 billion Hermès fortune has vanished
Swiss investigate four people linked to Russian oligarch
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland is investigating four individuals linked to Russian oligarch Suleyman Kerimov.
Swiss government scrambles to deal with egg shortage
This content was published on
From September 1, more eggs intended for consumption may be imported into Switzerland. In allowing this, the government wants to secure the supply of eggs for consumers.
This content was published on
Agricultural research sees new development opportunities for Swiss sparkling wines in the face of declining wine consumption. In a survey, half of consumers expressed a willingness to pay more for local products than for foreign ones.
Locarno spotlights filmmakers from South America and Caribbean
This content was published on
The Open Doors section of the Locarno Film Festival has named the winners for 2024. The spotlight is on the South American and Caribbean regions.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Crisis puts spotlight on Swiss relations with Belarus
This content was published on
The crisis in Belarus is a source of embarrassment for the Swiss, who recently began reviving bilateral relations with “Europe’s last dictatorship".
This content was published on
The Swiss foreign ministry has criticised the official police reaction in Belarus following protests which erupted in response to Sunday’s presidential election.
Foreign minister works for release of Swiss held in Belarus
This content was published on
Belarus says it is ready for "constructive and objective dialogue" after a telephone call with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.