Estonia imposes indefinite entry ban on Belarus president, 272 officials

The Estonian government has announced an indefinite entry ban on Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko and 272 other individuals from the country, citing ongoing human rights violations.

The decision effectively makes permanent the sanctions initially imposed in 2020, Caliber.Az reports, citing Estonian media.

"The Estonian government on July 24 decided to make the sanctions against Belarus indefinite, continuing the entry ban for key representatives (of the government)... There are 273 people on the sanctions list ... Including Lukashenko himself," the official statement reads.

The move was initiated by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, who underscored the deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus as the driving force behind the decision. The sanctions, which were first introduced in response to the Belarusian government’s crackdown on protests and civil society following the disputed 2020 presidential election, had previously been renewed on a temporary basis.

“There have been no positive changes in Belarus for almost five years since the sanctions were introduced. We cannot turn a blind eye to the ongoing repression, so the sanctions must be maintained without a time limit,” said Tsahkna, as quoted by the press service of the Estonian Foreign Ministry.

By Vafa Guliyeva