West tightens Belarus sanctions to make Lukashenko regime ‘run dry’
udf.byThe Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko (centre), attends a defence meeting in Shklov last Wednesday. Photograph: Pavel Orlovsky/AP Western countries have extended sanctions against Belarus, with a pledge to make Alexander Lukashenko’s regime “run dry”, following last month’s forced landing of a Ryanair flight to arrest a dissident. In a coordinated move against Lukashenko, the UK, US, EU and Canada announced travel bans and asset freezes on senior Belarusian officials and entities that bankroll the regime as a punishment for the arrest of the activist and journalist Raman Pratasevich and his girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who were detained after being hauled off a flight from Athens to Vilnius.