EU leaders impose more sanctions on Belarus president

European Union leaders today decided to personally punish Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko after an election widely seen as rigged – announcing “restrictions” against the authoritarian leader that would likely include a travel ban from Europe.

The EU decision in Brussels puts Lukashenko on the same EU blacklist as other leaders such as Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe and Burma’s military leaders, all of whom have a freeze on their European assets and visa bans against them.

Authorities in Belarus were urged to refrain from any further action against protesters after police in Minsk stormed the opposition tent camp early this morning, detaining hundreds of demonstrators.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU would continue to back “the peaceful opposition” adding the EU had to take action to “restrict those that prevented (democratic) free choice.”

Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson said Belarus was “the last dictatorship in Europe”.