VILNIUS: A delegation of US senators called for harsher economic sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s plan on Tuesday after assembly exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya at the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.
Senator Rob Portman said that the sanctions now in place”definitely have never been powerful enough”.
“I’ll encourage wider sanctions that will be sectoral sanctions, not only on people, but on areas where Lukashenko’s program will truly feel the pain,” he explained.
The US stated last week it had been working together with the EU on new sanctions later Belarus redirected a flight bound for Lithuania, forced it to land in Minsk after which captured a dissident journalist Roman Protasevich along with also his girlfriend Sofia Sapega aboard.
Senator Chris Murphy reported the airplane incident was”brazen, something that the world hasn’t seen before”, while Senator Jeanne Shaheen called it an”extraordinary abuse of power”.
The senators called for the launch of Protasevich along with Sapega along with other political prisoners in Belarus and stated a fresh presidential election ought to be held .
“Into Lukashenko I state: it’s time to proceed.
Create space for a democratically elected leader, more deserving of the folks,” Shaheen said.
Tikhanovskaya said following the interview that the problem in Belarus has been”becoming worse day by day”.
“Lukashenko has obviously become a danger to global peace and safety.
The catastrophe in Belarus isn’t a issue of Belarusian individuals alone,” she explained.
Sanctions against nine Belarusian state-owned ventures, re-imposed from Washington in April after a crackdown on pro-democracy protests, will come into effect on Thursday.
Tikhanovskaya welcome that the sanctions but requested for”additional steps and targeted sanctions against businesses and businesses behind the plan”.