Canada has imposed sanctions against Belarus
The authorities reacted to the forced landing of the plane and the arrest of the Belarusian journalist.
Mark Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, announced new sanctions against Belarus in response to "gross systematic human rights violations" by the government led by Alexander Lukashenko. Canada adopted these measures jointly with other G7 countries.
The sanctions are related to the incident that occurred on 23 May, when a Ryanair passenger plane, flying from Athens to Vilnius, made an emergency landing in Minsk. The crew received a message from the Belarusian authorities that the plane had been booby-trapped. After landing, law enforcement authorities arrested the journalist Raman Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, who is a Russian citizen. After the incident, the Canadian authorities threatened Belarus with sanctions, and the republic, in its turn, announced the closure of the embassy in Canada.
The Government of Canada notes that such actions on the part of the government are not only an attack on freedom of speech, but also a threat to all airline passengers, as well as a violation of fundamental principles and international rules of civil aviation.
Sanctioned individuals will not be able to enter Canada, conduct any activities in the country and their assets will be frozen. Seventeen officials involved in violations of human rights and freedoms, as well as five businesses, are subject to sanctions:
- Belaeronavigatsia aviation service company;
- manufacturer of quarry equipment "Belarusian Automobile Plant" (BelAZ);
- transport and logistics operator Bremino Group;
- oil supplier New Oil Company;
- automobile company Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ).
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