LONDON — The U.K. on Tuesday slapped sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko over alleged human rights violations.
The sanctions include a travel ban and asset freeze, and will also be imposed on Viktor Lukashenko, the president’s son, and seven other senior figures.
Britain took the action, which takes immediate effect, with Canada in response to what it dubbed the “violent and fraudulent regime” in Belarus.
“We will hold those responsible for the thuggery deployed against the Belarusian people to account and we will stand up for our values of democracy and human rights,” said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
Protests erupted in Belarus following a disputed presidential election in August, at which Lukashenko sought a sixth term, leading to a brutal crackdown from the authorities, including the arrest of opposition figures. Lukashenko was inaugurated unexpectedly last week.
It is the first time Britain has imposed sanctions on a national leader since its new sanctions regime was brought into force, and the second time the regime has been used at all.