Additional US sanctions on Belarus for ‘Olympic asylum’… Latvia is poised to close borders

The international community’s pressure on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (66), who is called ‘Europe’s last dictator’, is intensifying. Following diplomatic sanctions by the United States, Britain, Canada, and the European Union (EU) for the forced landing of a third country airliner in May, the United States and others decided to impose additional economic sanctions. Latvia, which borders the country, even prepared to build a wall on the border just in case.

A White House official said on the 9th (local time), “President Joe Biden is signing new sanctions against the Lukashenko regime’s cross-border repression, attacking[people’s]human rights and democratic aspirations.” said.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently raised sanctions against major institutions and companies, including the Belarus National Olympic Committee, who had exiled athletes during the Tokyo Olympics, as well as close aides to President Lukashenko. In particular, ‘Belaruskali OAO’, the largest state-owned company in Belarus and the world’s largest producer of potassium carbonate fertilizer, is also included, which is suspected of being a ‘money’ of the Lukashenko regime. The Biden government also accused the Belarusian Olympic Committee of being used by the Lukashenko regime for money laundering and sanctions evasion.

The UK and Canada have also tightened sanctions along with the US. President Biden said it was a “response to those who illegally maintain power at any cost.”

Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine share borders with Belarus.[구글맵]

According to the Financial Times (FT), neighboring Latvia is also strengthening its borders in line with the sanctions imposed by the US, UK and Canada. Latvia’s Interior Minister Maria Golubeva said: “We are ready to declare a state of emergency on the border and build a border wall.” These measures were also agreed to be officially decided by Latvian Prime Minister Arthurs Kryanis Karins on the 10th.

Latvia is a member of the European Union (EU) and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), and unlike President Lukashenko, who is pro-Russian, has shown a movement to regulate Russia. The reason for the strengthening of the border is said to be to deter Belarusians or those who wish to emigrate to EU and NATO member states via Belarus. There were no migrants crossing the border from Belarus at the beginning of June, but the number suddenly surged, with 39 cases reported on the 7th, 35 cases on the 8th, and 86 cases on the 9th. There seems to be an underlying reason. Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Linkevich told the FT, “We are concerned about a potential incident with the Russian and Belarusian forces during the joint military exercise with NATO forces next month.”

Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus. [AP=연합뉴스]

This day also marks the first anniversary of President Lukashenko’s victory in the presidential election, which Western countries have defined as fraudulent elections. President Lukashenko has been in office for six consecutive terms since 1994. Last year, protests in Belarus demanded the resignation of Lukashenko, but he was revived with the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President Lukashenko is famous for his ‘iron-fist rule’, which purges his opponents. Tens of thousands of demonstrators were brutally suppressed and arrested. In May, the Irish airline Ryanair forced the landing of a passenger plane, arresting opposition figures, and invoking international sanctions. On the 3rd, dissident Vitali Shishov, who had been active in Ukraine, was found hanged and killed in a park in Kiev. Ukraine remains open to the possibility of a murder and is investigating the case.

Recently, Belarus national short-distance sprinter Kristina Chimanowskaya fled to Poland after criticizing her country’s track and field team during the Tokyo Olympics.

US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. [AFP=연합뉴스]

The West’s sanctions against Belarus are also of the nature of Russia’s containment. Since taking office, President Biden has been putting pressure on China, Russia, and North Korea with the value of ‘human rights and democracy’. The Biden administration once again stated that “all relevant organizations and persons who have persecuted human rights and democracy are targeted” as reasons for sanctions against Belarus.

Lukashenko is a typical pro-Russian character. President Putin, who is burdened by NATO, which is also a mutual defense treaty body between Europe and the United States, has used Belarus as a buffer zone due to the long-term tenure of pro-Russian Lukashenko.