Belarus faces tougher UK Economic Sanctions because of its Human Rights Abuses

Belarus faces tougher UK Economic Sanctions because of its Human Rights Abuses

The United Kingdom tightened sanctions on Belarus on Monday to crush the country's authoritarian dictatorship. Aviation, trade, and economic sanctions have been imposed as a result of a modification to the Republic of Belarus(sanctions)(EU Exit) Regulations 2019. These penalties follow a joint designation issued by the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union in June of this year.

Belarusian airlines are prohibited from overflying or landing in the United Kingdom under the aviation restrictions. They also prohibit the provision of technical support to President Lukashenko's aircraft fleet, as well as other 7 persons. To reduce the flow of money to the Lukashenko government, the trade measures apply penalties on a variety of items.

Financial sanctions imposed on Belarus and its state-owned banks attempt to prevent the trade of transferrable securities and other financial instruments issued by the country. The United Kingdom's restrictions are in line with those taken by the Biden administration, which signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting people from contributing to the Lukashenko government from owning property.

It also joins Canada, which, in reaction to human rights breaches in Belarus, has adopted new sanctions under the Special Economic Orders Act. Following last year's elections, which were widely seen as "fraudulent," and subsequent crackdowns on government dissidents, the Lukashenko administration has come under fire.

The administration has recently been under fire for forcing a plane to land, which resulted in the detention of two activists. Finally, the goal of the collective sanctions and unified denunciation of the regime is to put pressure on the regime and its institutions to modify their conduct while minimizing any negative effects for Belarus's general population.