The UK has announced sanctions against four individuals and three entities in Belarus as part of a coordinated international response to ongoing human rights violations and Belarus's support
for Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. This move coincides with the fourth anniversary of Belarus's disputed 2020 presidential election, bringing the total number of UK sanctions against Belarus to over 200.
The 2020 election, widely criticized by the international community, triggered mass peaceful protests across Belarus. These demonstrations were met with a brutal crackdown by the Lukashenko regime, resulting in the detention of political prisoners in penal colonies. Today, the UK has sanctioned the commanding officers of four of these penal colonies, holding them accountable for their roles in human rights abuses and the suppression of civil society.
Belarus has also played a key role in supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine by allowing the use of its territory and airspace for military operations and providing logistical support. In response, the UK has added three Belarusian entities in the defense and military industrial sector to its sanctions list, effectively barring them from conducting business with UK companies.
Following these actions, Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated:
"Four years on from the brutal scenes we witnessed in Belarus, Lukashenko’s relentless crackdown on civil society has shown no signs of abating: over 40,000 citizens arrested on trumped-up political charges, civil society and independent media trampled, and a regime with no regard for democracy or human rights. We stand with the people of Belarus and their pursuit of freedom and democracy and call on the regime to release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally."
The individuals and entities sanctioned include:
- Denis Anatolievich Tolstenkov: Commanding officer of penal colony 4
- Andrei Sergeevich Palchyk: Former commanding officer of penal colony 1
- Filip Vladimirovich Sturchanka: Commanding officer of penal colony 3
- Aleksey Valerievich Lazarenko: Commanding officer of penal colony 15
- OJSC StankoGomel: A Belarusian machine tool manufacturer exporting goods to Russia for use in the military sector
- JSC NIIEVM: A government-affiliated entity operating in Belarus's defense sector
- Ruchservomotor LLC: Another Belarusian machine tool manufacturer exporting goods to Russia for military purposes
In addition to sanctions, the UK is pledging £2.5 million in funding for Belarusian human rights and civil society initiatives, including support for the International Accountability Platform Belarus. This coalition collects, verifies, and preserves evidence of gross human rights violations committed by Belarusian authorities.
Since August 2020, Belarusian authorities have made over 40,000 politically motivated arrests and initiated at least 12,000 criminal cases on political grounds. According to the Viasna Human Rights Centre, 1,389 political prisoners remain in custody in Belarus, including human rights defenders, journalists, opposition members, and trade unionists. At least six political prisoners have died in detention since 2021, with many others enduring appalling conditions, violence, and deprivation of basic rights. Photo by Максим Шикунец, Wikimedia commons.