Foreign ministers of EU countries agree on sanctions against Belarusian officials

The foreign ministers of 27 EU countries agreed to impose sanctions
against 158 representatives of the authorities of Belarus, including
President Alexander Lukashenko, at a meeting in Brussels, RIA Novosti
reports, referring to Agence France-Presse.

The sanctions will prohibit the high-ranking Belarusian officials from
entering EU countries, as well as freeze their financial assets.

The Belarusian opposition in Minsk organized an unsanctioned protest
after it was announced that Lukashenko had won the presidential
election on December 19. The authorities detained hundreds of
protesters, including opposition leaders running for the presidency.
The actions of the Belarusian authorities were strongly criticized by
the European Union.

After the presidential elections in 2006 the EU imposed economic
sanctions against Belarus, as well as travel restrictions on
Belarusian officials, including Lukashenko, accusing him of falsifying
the election results.