Catherine Ashton: Businessmen will be added to "black list" in March
As for those who were added to the list today, their surnames will be revealed on Wednesday.
Head of the EU's foreign policy diplomatic service Catherine Ashton has stated that today's expanding of the black list is only the beginning. She has informed this at the press-conference dedicated to the results of the meeting of the foreign ministers in Brussels. As for the businessmen and the companies which deserve to be added to the black list as well, the foreign ministers will discuss them in March.
Catherine Ashton: "We have decided that there are many things to do in the future and that we should practice a stronger and more complex approach. Therefore, the Council of Foreign Ministers will discuss a complex list of businessmen who should be added to the black list to be united with the people who are already there, in March. We continue urging the Belarusian authorities to release and rehabilitate political prisoners. At the same time, we strengthen our connections with the opposition".
Let us remind you, the EU's Ministers of Foreign Affairs took the political decision to expand the black list by 21 people. There are proofs that those people are indeed responsible for human rights violations in Belarus, informed spokesperson for the Council of the EU Susanne Kiefer.
Susanne Kiefer: "The ministers decided to add 21 people to the list of persons on whom the EU's sanctions are imposed, namely, prohibition to enter the territory of the EU and freezing the European actives. Tomorrow this decision will be executed legally, and on the following day, which is Wednesday, their names will be revealed. I can tell you that 19 of them out of 21 are judges. There are proofs that all the people mentioned in the list participated in repressions against the civil society".
Apart from the judges, two representatives of the police administration got to the EU's black list.
Let us remind you, the "Belarusian issue" was also discussed at the session of the Council of the EU in Brussels today. It is worth mentioning that officially it wasn't on the agenda. However, the ministers said before the meeting that there were hot discussions of the means of influence on the Belarusian authorities.
Photo: rnw.nl
