EU Adds 28 People to Belarus Sanctions Regime

The Council of the European Union on Aug. 5 sanctioned another 28 people for suppressing human rights in Belarus. The designations target two deputy heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Main Department for Combating Organised Crime and Corruption, which conducts "arbitrary and unlawful arrests" of activists and civil society members, the council said. Members of the judiciary and correctional institutions were also included for "politically motivated sentences" imposed against activists. Others sanctioned include "a group of long-time supporters of" Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, including the host of a news program and chairman of the Youth Council at the National Assembly of Belarus.