Group of Czech politicians call for sanctions over Belarus crackdowns

A number of Czech politicians and public figures are calling on EU officials to impose sanctions forthwith against those responsible for crackdowns on demonstrators in Belarus. Among the signatories are senators David Smoljak, Jan Horník, Václav Hampl and Jiří Oberfalzer, MPs Miroslava Němcová, Pavel Žáček, František Kopřiva and Jan Lipavský and MEPs Markéta Gregorová and Mikuláš Peksa.

In an open letter before a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday, they have also called for efforts to prevent Russian interference in Belarus and for financial support for civil society in the country.