Belarus MFA: All EU sanctions should be lifted
Belarusian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Dzmitry Mironchyk declines to comment on the updated EU sanctions against Belarus officials.
"We do not deem it necessary to comment on this decision of the Council of the EU. Our position is well known and it has not changed: the sanctions should be abolished completely," Mironchyk is quoted by state news agency BELTA as saying.
On July 9, the Council of the EU announced its decision to add one more person to the 'black list' of government and law-enforcement officials and businessmen: Shklou District Court judge Vital Volkau. Two year ago, he ruled to transfer political prisoner Mikola Statkevich to a higher-security prison.
The Council of the EU yesterday also removed 8 Belarus officials from the sanctions list, including former deputy Prosecutor General Aliaksandr Arkhipau who was recently convicted in Belarus and sentenced to 6 years in prison for office and power abuse. The Council of the EU said there were no longer grounds for those people to remain on the 'black list'.
Photo: Reuters
