US, EU, Canada and UK slap sanctions on Belarus

Western allies urge the Belarusian government to cooperate with a probe into the forced landing of a Ryanair flight and the arrest of a journalist last month.

The United States, the European Union, Canada and The United Kingdom have imposed sweeping sanctions on Belarusian entities and officials and called on Minsk “to end its repressive practices against its own people”. The allies also told the administration of President Alexander Lukashenko to cooperate with investigations into the forced landing of a Ryanair flight there in May and the arrest of the journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, who were on board. “We are united in our deep concern regarding the Lukashenko regime’s continuing attacks on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and international law,” the four said in a joint statement on Monday.