US, Allies Announce Coordinated Belarus Sanctions
The U.S. and several allies announced a host of new sanctions against people and entities responsible for the Belarusian government’s disputed 2020 presidential election and recent human rights abuses. The sanctions, coordinated with Canada, the European Union and the United Kingdom, also target Belarus and President Alexander Lukashenko’s government for the forced diversion of a commercial plane last month to arrest a journalist, the U.S. Treasury and State Department said June 21. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also issued a new general license to authorize certain transactions with Belarus and published additional sanctions guidance.
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The U.S. sanctions -- aimed at 62 people and five entities -- targeted officials that hold “key positions” in the presidential administration, the State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus (the Belarusian KGB), the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Information and other agencies, the State Department said. Among those designated are Natallia Mikalaeuna Eismant, Lukashenko’s press secretary; Natallia Ivanauna Kachanava, the chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly; and several government-controlled security and police forces. Along with the U.S., Canada sanctioned 17 people and five entities, the U.K. sanctioned 11 people and two entities, and the EU sanctioned 78 people and eight entities.
The U.S., Canada, the U.K. and the EU said they are “disappointed the [Lukashenko] regime has opted to walk away from its human rights obligations” and urged Belarus to release all its political prisoners. “We are committed to support the long-suppressed democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus,” they said, “and we stand together to impose costs on the regime for its blatant disregard of international commitments.”
New Belarus General License 3 authorizes certain transactions and activities with the Belarusian KGB that are “necessary and ordinarily incident” to dealing in licenses to import or distribute certain information technology products in Belarus, OFAC said in Frequently Asked Question 912. The license also authorizes certain transactions related to complying with the rules and investigations administered by the Belarusian KGB.
OFAC stressed that the license doesn’t authorize exports or reexports of technology or services -- including exports of hardware and software -- to the Belarusian KGB. Those exports are only authorized for “the limited purposes of complying with rules and regulations administered by, and certain actions and investigations involving, the Belarusian KGB,” OFAC said in FAQ 913. They are also authorized for the purposes of requesting certain import licenses to ship those goods to Belarus.
OFAC said the license was issued to make sure U.S. business activities aren’t “unduly impacted” by the sanctions. The license “only authorizes certain transactions and activities with the Belarusian KGB acting in its administrative capacity.”