New sanctions on Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus after Ryanair incident

The UK imposed sanctions including travel bans and asset freezes on seven individuals and one entity from the regime in response to the Ryanair incident.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting on territorial defense issues in the town of Shklov, 220 km (137 miles) east of Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (Maxim Guchek/BelTA Pool Photo via AP)

The UK, US, European Union and Canada have slapped fresh sanctions on senior figures in Belarus following the diversion of a flight to allow the arrest of a prominent critic of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime.

The joint action came after a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania on May 23 was diverted to Minsk, where authorities arrested dissident journalist Roman Protasevich and his partner Sofia Sapega.