EU foreign ministers agree on sanctions against selected officials in Belarus

EU foreign ministers have compiled a list of Belarusian officials to be hit with sanctions over the country’s rigged elections and brutal crackdown on demonstrators.

At the close of the foreign ministers’ informal two-day summit in Berlin, Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petříček said the EU’s goal is to help initiate a constructive dialogue between the Belarusian authorities and the opposition leading to free elections in which the people of Belarus could decide about their future. He said the list of officials against whom the sanctions are targeted is not final and could be extended as the situation develops.

Once the list is finalized, the EU member states will need to unanimously approve each individual or organization on it before sanctions can go into effect.