English

Bush extends asset freeze targeting Lukashenka, other Belarusian officials

US President George W. Bush has extended a measure freezing any property in the United States owned by Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka and some other Belarusian government officials by another year, BelaPAN reports.

In a statement released by the White House press office on June 6, Mr. Bush accused the officials of undermining democratic processes or institutions in Belarus.

Referring to the asset freeze introduced on June 16, 2006, the US president said that he had taken “this action to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States constituted by the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Belarus and other persons that have undermined democratic processes or institutions; committed human rights abuses related to political repression, including detentions and disappearances; and engaged in public corruption, including by diverting or misusing Belarusian public assets or by misusing public authority.”

“Because these actions and policies continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, the national emergency declared on June 16, 2006, and the measures adopted on that date to deal with that emergency, must continue in effect beyond June 16, 2008,” the statement said.

Apart from Mr. Lukashenka, the 2006 asset freeze order named Natallya Pyatkevich, deputy head of the Presidential Administration; Justice Minister Viktar Halavanaw; Alyaksandr Zimowski, chairman of the Belarusian State Television and Radio Company; Stsyapan Sukharenka, then chairman of the Committee for State Security (KGB); Viktar Sheyman, state secretary of the Security Council; Dzmitry Pawlichenka, chief of an Interior Troops unit; Interior Minister Uladzimir Navumaw; Lidziya Yarmoshyna, chairwoman of the central election commission; and Mr. Lukashenka's son Viktar, security adviser to the head of state.

The order blocks all property and interests in property of the persons. It prohibits US companies and individuals from engaging in any transactions with the targeted persons. These persons will not be able to access any assets that they might have in the United States, and US financial institutions, wherever located, will not be able to provide any financial services to them.