List of personae non-grata could be reviewed

Visa sanctions against a number of Belarusian officials have been extended for another year; comments of European and Belarusian politicians and analysts.

Mr. Nikola Kerleru, a representative of the Press Office of the EU, explained the decision of the Council of the European Union to prolong visa sanctions against certain Belarusian officials: "This was a decision to prolong by one year the existing sanctions against Mr. Lukashenko and certain Belarusian officials. It was approved unanimously by the EU Council which means that the sanctions will be enforced until 10 April 2009, when the decision could be reviewed. The list of officials, to whom the sanctions apply, has not been changed. It remains the same, however it is important to mention that the list is subject to continual review and might be altered depending on the development of the political situation in Belarus. Matters of particular significance include the full release of all political prisoners and the conditions for holding Parliamentary elections in September. Progress in either of these areas could provide a basis for changes in the list".

Mr. Kerleru said that while reviewing the sanctions the EU Council welcomed the release of certain Belarusian political prisoners, however its position remains the same: only complete release of all political prisoners could positively influence the position of the EU in this regard".

Visa restrictions: "It was expected"

Mr. Anatoly Lebedko, Co-Chairman of the Political Council of the United Democratic Forces of Belarus made the following comments: "The EU decision is both logical and consistent. When one considers the circumstances that lead to the application of these sanctions and compares that with the current situation in Belarus, it becomes obvious that there has been deterioration in some areas. As a consequence, all necessary legal, political and ethical justifications exist for prolonging these sanctions against those officials who do not respect international agreements, signed by Belarus in the area of human rights and freedoms and also do not respect their own constitution."

Mr. Andrey Fedorov, a political analyst says that he was not surprised by the EU decision: "After the events of 25-27 March, this should be expected. Prior to that the Belarusian side was taking some positive steps towards Europe with the release of almost all political prisoners. The Belarusian authorities were expecting some steps to be taken in return. Maybe they were expecting too much and were hoping for withdrawal of all visa sanctions".

"Looking ahead, a lot would depend on relations with Russia. If they improve in relative terms, then one shouldn't hope for improvement in relations with Western countries. When certain problems arise, particularly in the economic sphere then a new wave of improvement in relations could be expected. However, it is unclear how this will manifest given that the European Union is a rather bureaucratic organization as well and cannot react promptly to movements in bilateral relations."

A member of the International Commission of the House of Representatives, Mr. Sergey Gaidukevich said in an interview with Radio Liberty: "What can I say that I have not already said before? This is an ongoing process. What shall we do? There is nothing we can do. The situation brings to mind the lyrics of a song "You cannot force someone to love you…"

"I think there will be no radical response by the Belarusian authorities. Why? If this situation arose without the background context, that would be one thing. However, there is nothing extraordinary happening. I shall repeat myself: this is an ongoing process. Banks know each other. This decision was made by Brussels. We are in a state of a dialogue again. Now we will be encourage to pay close attention to the parliamentary elections, and we will do so. It is an endless process."

Lukashenko is banned from entering the EU for another year

The press service of the Council of the European Union announced that visa sanctions against a number of Belarusian officials were extended for another year. The list of officials banned from entering the territory of the European Union dates back to 2004 and includes Aleksandr Lukashenko and others.

This decision was made by the representatives of all European Countries, the constituent Members of the Council of the EU.

The initial list of Belarusian officials that were implicated, according to the EU, in the disappearance of politicians in Belarus in 1999-2000 comprised six persons: The Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Vladimir Naumov, the Secretary of the Security Council, Mr. Viktor Sheiman, Former Minister of Internal Affairs Mr. Yury Sivakov and the Commander of the Special Service team of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Mr. Dmitry Pavluchenko. In December 2004 after the Parliamentary Elections and a Referendum, the Head of the Central Election Commission Mrs. Lidia Yermoshina and the Head of the Special Troops of the Militia Mr. Yury Podobed, were added to the list.

In April 2006, the list was extended from six persons to 37, including President Alexander Lukashenko. According to the EU the latter is responsible for human rights violations in the course of the election campaign. Ten non-EU Member States adopted this decision of the European Union at a later date.  

On 23 October 2006 the list was extended with four more persons: a Judge of the Moskovsky District Court of Minsk Mr. Aleksey Rybakov and a State Prosecutor Mr. Sergey Bortnik, for sentencing Aleksandr Kozulin, and a Judge of the Central District Court of Minsk Mr. Leonid Yasinovich and a State Prosecutor Mr. Andrey Migun, for sentencing members of the non-registered organization "Partnerstvo".

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