Poland imposes sanctions on 365 citizens of Belarus

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Poland has announced the imposition of sanctions against 365 citizens of Belarus due to the sentence of the journalist of the international channel Polonia, activist of the Union of Poles of Belarus Andrzej Poczobut.

This was reported by the press service of the Polish ministry, Yevropeiska Pravda reports.

"The Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration of Poland has decided to include 365 citizens of Belarus in the list of foreigners whose stay in Poland is undesirable. These persons will also be banned from entering the Schengen area. They will also be subject to a freeze on their funds and economic resources," the statement said.

The minister also decided to freeze the funds and assets of 20 organizations and 16 individuals, mostly associated with Russian capital.

The sanctioned individuals include 159 deputies, 76 judges, seven prosecutors, 32 representatives of local administrations, 28 officers and employees of law enforcement agencies, 23 representatives of Belarusian state media, 24 athletes and sports officials, eight employees of Belarusian state bodies, institutions, and enterprises, as well as eight cultural and scientific figures.

The list also includes entrepreneurs associated with the Russian capital, including 15 Russian citizens and one Belarusian. The sanctions also include 20 business entities: 19 related to Russia and one related to Belarus.

"These individuals assisted the Belarusian regime and participated in legitimizing and supporting the repressive policies of the Minsk authorities. They are also responsible for the politically motivated conviction of Andrzej Poczobut on false charges," the Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs emphasized.

The sanctions list includes persons responsible for organizing illegal migration to Poland and the Baltic States.

Andrzej Poczobut is one of the leaders of the independent Union of Poles. He, like a number of other Polish minority activists, was detained on March 25, 2021. He was accused of "inciting hatred on ethnic grounds" for publishing about the Soviet attack on Poland in 1939. The criminal case file also included the journalist's statements in defense of the Polish minority in Belarus, an article about the suppression of Belarusian protests in 2020, and a 2006 text about one of the commanders of the Polish anti-communist underground in the Hrodna region.

Author - Olena Madiak, 29/05/2023