The Council of the European Union on Monday added 16 more people to the bloc’s existing travel ban and asset-freeze list currently targeting 192 Belarusians, including Alyaksandr Lukashenka, said Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson for Catherine Ashton, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.
"There was quiet a long discussion about the situation in Belarus, and foreign ministers reaffirmed the call for the release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners," she said.
The names of the blacklisted individuals were not immediately known, but a statement by the Council of the European Union said that the sanctions targeted those "responsible for the continuing repression of civil society, the political opposition and the independent media in Belarus."
The names of the 16 people are expected to be made public on October 11.
On January 31, the Council of the EU imposed asset freezes and travel bans on 156 Belarusian government officials and other individuals for their role in "the violations of international electoral standards" in the December 14-19, 2010 presidential election and a post-election crackdown on civil society and pro-democratic supporters. The Council blacklisted 19 more Belarusians in March, 13 more in May and four others in June, placing on the list mostly judges and prosecutors involved in the prosecution of post-election protesters.
