WASHINGTON: The US Treasury hit eight Belarus officials with punitive sanctions Friday for what it called their roles in "fraudulent" elections and a subsequent violent crackdown on protesters.
The sanctions targeted Interior Minister Yury Karayev and Deputy Minister Alexander Barsukov, and several public security officials which the US said had leading roles in attacks and the detention of protestors.
Also sanctioned were the deputy chairperson and secretary of the country's central election commission, who were accused of ignoring widespread irregularities to award the August 9 election to strongman President Alexander Lukashenko.
"The Belarusian people's democratic aspirations to choose their own leaders and peacefully exercise their rights have been met with violence and oppression from Belarusian officials," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a statement.
"The United States and our international partners stand united in imposing costs on those who have undermined Belarusian democracy for years," Mnuchin said.
Like European Union sanctions on Belarus announced earlier in the day, the US measures did not target Lukashenko directly.
The sanctions block any property of the individuals in US jurisdictions, and ban Americans and US entities, including global banks with US branches, from doing business with them.