UK sanctions Belarus officials and defence firms after 'sham election'

Britain’s foreign office on Monday said it had sanctioned six Belarus individuals and three defence sector firms, a day after a “sham election” in which autocrat Alexander Lukashenko won a seventh term Britain’s foreign office on Monday said it had sanctioned six Belarus individuals and three defence sector firms, a day after a “sham election” in which autocrat Alexander Lukashenko won a seventh term. “Following Lukashenko’s brutal crackdown in which critical voices within Belarus have been silenced, yesterday’s sham election failed to meet international standards and has been condemned by international partners,” it said, adding that the sanctions were being imposed in coordination with Canada. The sanctions targeted the “leaders of institutions responsible for serious human rights violations and companies in the Belarusian defence sector supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine”, the foreign office said. “The world has become well-accustomed to Lukashenko’s cynical pretence of democracy in Belarus, while in reality he brutally represses civil society and opposition voices to strengthen his grip on power,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement.