US sanctions Belarus state-linked entities, 9 people over crackdown

WASHINGTON - The US Treasury sanctioned three Belarusian state-linked entities and nine people on Friday in response to an ongoing crackdown on pro-democrats activists after a 2020 presidential poll that the opposition and Western governments rejected as fraudulent.

The Treasury has identified a US-made Boeing 737 jet as the property of Alexander Lukashenko, the US-sanctioned Belarusian leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who denies charges that his 2020 election victory was rigged.

Identifying the aircraft as part of a fleet of luxury planes used by Lukashenko and his family effectively blocked its use in the United States.

The sanctions prohibit Americans from doing business with the designated entities and individuals, and could bring similar measures against financial institutions or persons who conduct transactions with them.

The Treasury said in a statement that it sanctioned two major Belarusian automotive makers, including the Belarusian Automobile Plant, one of the world's biggest producers of large trucks and dump trucks.

The Treasury statement said the Minsk Automobile Plant is a significant source of revenue for Lukashenko's government.

Both companies were affected by the Treasury's sanctions.

Treasury said Minsk Automobile Plant management intimidated and fired workers for participating in strikes and peaceful protests over Lukashenko's claim of victory in the August 2020 election.

The Belarusian Automobile Plant workers were intimidated and threatened with layoffs for the same reason, it said.

The statement said sanctions were imposed on seven members of the Belarusian central election commission, as well as the commission itself.

The Treasury said visa restrictions were slapped on 14 individuals, including regime officials, to mark Belarusian Freedom Day, an unofficial holiday commemorating the country's 1918 declaration of independence from the Russian empire.

Lukashenko is in favor of Putin for backing him after the mass protests over the Belarusian leader's 2020 election. Lukashenko allowed Belarus to be used as a launch pad for Putin's invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2021, according to Lukashenko.