US re-imposes sanctions on Belarus for human rights violations

New US sanctions are aimed at state-owned enterprises that support the government of Belarus President Lukashenko.

The Biden administration on Monday renewed United States sanctions on nine state-owned companies in Belarus for human rights violations by the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko. The move by the US Treasury Department primarily forestalled potential future sales of US crude oil to the former Soviet-state, which US officials had hoped was looking for alternative sources to Russian supply for its refineries. The US Department of State cited government suppression of political protests following the August 2020 re-election of Lukashenko, which the US has said was fraudulent.