The United States imposed visa restrictions for 25 people including lawmakers for “undermining democracy” on Tuesday (January 17) over the trial in absentia of exiled democratic opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The announcement was made by Secretary of State Antony Blinken who called the trial “politically motivated”. The 40-year-old leader of the opposition in Belarus fled the country after running against incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko in 2020 which was followed by mass protests amid alleged voter fraud.
In a statement, Blinken said, “These politically motivated trials are the latest examples of the Lukashenka regime’s efforts to intimidate and repress those who seek justice, respect for human rights, and a democratic Belarus.”
He added, “We will not stand by as this regime continues to harass and repress peaceful protesters, the democratic opposition, journalists, unionists, activists, human rights defenders, and everyday Belarusians”.
The Lukashenka regime’s politically motivated trial in absentia of democratic opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya is illustrative of its repression. We’ve taken steps to impose visa restrictions on 25 regime officials who passed legislation to repress pro-democracy actors.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 17, 2023
Additionally, among the 25 people targeted by Washington are lawmakers and members of the National Assembly of Belarus who played a role in passing legislation to authorise the death penalty for people convicted of “attempted acts of terrorism,” a charge that Blinken says has been used to quash the opposition in Belarus.
Furthermore, some of these individuals have also supported laws that revoke citizenship from those outside the country charged with “extremism” and confiscating property for taking “unfriendly actions towards Belarus,” said Blinken. Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and declared himself the winner of the 2020 presidential election in Belarus which the long-time outspoken critic and leader of the opposition denounced.
Tsikhanouskaya, who now lives in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, told Reuters on the sidelines of the ongoing World Economic Forum, “In Belarus there are no honest trials. We live in absolute lawlessness in our country so tomorrow’s trial will be a farce and a show but not real justice.” According to the BelTa state news agency, Tsikhanouskaya and several others will be tried on charges of treason and attempting to seize power.
The opposition leader of Belarus is on trial along with other pro-democracy leaders, including Volha Kavalkova, head of the Coordination Council, who was in charge of Belarus’ democratic transition, said the US official.
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