EU leaders condemn Belarus crackdown, endorse sanctions

European Union leaders slapped expanded sanctions on Belarus today and condemned a crackdown against opposition protesters in Minsk.

The 25 European leaders said the March 19 presidential vote that returned President Alexander Lukashenko to office was “fundamentally flawed,” adding that they would “take restrictive measures against those ... responsible for the violation of international electoral standards”.

They called Belarus a “sad exception ... on a continent of open and democratic societies.”

The EU leaders lent their support to opposition groups in Belarus fighting for democratic reforms. “Their continuing and brave efforts to advance the cause of democracy in exceptionally difficult circumstances deserve our full recognition and support,” they said.

EU officials said they were already drafting plans to expand existing visa travel bans and assets freeze, which currently apply to only six top Belarus officials, but not Lukashenko.

Police detained hundreds of demonstrators early today who had spent a fourth night in a central square to protest Lukashenko’s election victory.

The EU has already declared that the presidential vote, which gave Lukashenko a third consecutive term, was not free and fair and violated international democratic norms.

No economic sanctions are foreseen, officials have said, adding they want to focus their attention on political leaders rather than punishing Belarusians.