The United States imposed visa sanctions against Minsk for the persecution of dissidents Sanctions

The United States is imposing visa sanctions on some Belarusian officials for activities against dissidents abroad. This was announced by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Who exactly fell under the restrictions, is not specified.

“The United States condemns any such action, including the attempt to forcibly return Belarusian Olympic champion Kristina Timanovskaya to the country during the Tokyo Summer Olympics last year,” Blinken said.

According to the Secretary of State, Washington supports the efforts of the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Fund in the face of "continuing repression against Belarusians at home and abroad."

The measures were taken as part of the "Khashoggi ban," a tool the United States announced last year to counter transnational crackdowns on journalists, activists and dissidents, Blinken explained. The mechanism was named after the Saudi opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Since 2017, he has lived in the US and worked for The Washington Post. In October 2018, he was assassinated at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud claimed responsibility for the crime, but he claims he was not aware of the actions of his administration officials.