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EU hits Belarus judges with sanctions

26 May 2011, 21:41 CET
EU hits Belarus judges with sanctions

Justice - Photo © James Steidl - Fotolia

(BRUSSELS) - The European Union imposed new sanctions on Belarus on Monday, targetting 13 individuals including judges accused of taking part in the regime's crackdown on the opposition, diplomats said.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels decided to place an assets freeze and travel ban on judges who convicted opposition politicians "without legal soundness," a European diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

Belarus has convicted dozens of people, including three former presidential candidates, on charges of rioting and disturbing order on December 19, when tens of thousands took to the streets of Minsk to protest President Alexander Lukashenko's re-election.

The new list takes the total to 188 individuals including Lukashenko now hit by EU sanctions.

The foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland invoked last week the possibility of imposing targeted economic sanctions against the regime, but a diplomat said more discussions would take place on possible extra measures.

EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton last week strongly condemned the jailing of Belarus opposition leader Andrei Sannikov for five years on charges of organising protests after Lukashenko's disputed re-election in December.

On Friday, Belarus handed two-year suspended sentences to former presidential candidates Vladimir Nekliayev and Vitaly Rymashevsky, convicting them of public order offences during post-election protests.

Over 20 opposition activists have been tried or jailed by the regime since its crackdown on protests against the December presidential ballot, which both the Belarus opposition and international observers said was flawed.

EU strengthens restrictive measures against Belarus


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EU tests Political terorism on Belarus

Posted by Sergey Gavryushenko at 24 May 2011, 01:18 CET
 EU tests political terrorism on Belarus
Terror – state when you lose normal control (over your body) and ability to decide or act rationally
Two new elements in EU politics:
1) EU stepped into terrorizing governments (of Belarus): the government will not be sure if the country judges act on behalf of the country (Belarus in this case) or for some external interests (some in EU in this case)
2) EU sets a civil-war principals to the entire World: “if you are not like us you are against us” –nothing significantly different, nothing in the middle, only black and white, or red and white as it was in 1917 – 1918, in 1937 – 1973. All of this instead of developing new UN or other means of interaction.
It will push all “small” countries into “camps” again, to new cold war. Does EU acknowledges this Cold War II or pushes to it – does not matter, - EU takes active part in spinning it off, which means there is not much hope for piece.