BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

07/08/2007

U.S. expands list of Belarusians barred entry

By Andrei Makhovsky

MINSK (Reuters) - The United States said on Tuesday it had expanded a list of Belarusian officials barred entry in connection with human rights violations and the contested re-election last year of President Alexander Lukashenko.

Belarusian officials vowed to take "appropriate" measures in response to the move announced by the U.S. embassy.

Washington, following the lead of the European Union, had already barred Lukashenko and about 40 officials following the election, which Western countries said was blatantly rigged.

Lukashenko says his policies of checking dissent and controlling the economy have spared his countrymen the upheavals of other ex-Soviet states. He remains broadly popular at home.

The embassy said Washington was toughening its measures despite Belarusian moves to ease pressure on opposition activists, including the early release from prison of two dissidents and the imposition only of fines rather than imprisonment on members of an unauthorized youth group.

"Despite some initial minor easing this spring of repressive measures, we have seen a renewed deterioration in the human rights and democracy situation in Belarus in the past few weeks," an embassy statement said.

The barred list, which originally included some judges and election officials, now extends to more legal officials as well as officers in the interior ministry and the intelligence service, still known as the KGB, and heads of state enterprises.

The bar also applies to wives of those officials.

Western countries say Lukashenko, in power since 1994, prevents free assembly and has closed down independent media. They demand explanations for the disappearance of prominent activists in the 1990s.

The president has also quarreled with ally Russia over New Year increases in energy prices and, in recent weeks, over demands to pay debts for gas shipments. Lukashenko last week accused Moscow of trying to take over his country's economy.

He has called for improved ties with the West, but rejects any suggestion of rights violations. The foreign ministry suggested retaliatory measures would be forthcoming.

"We have repeatedly said that this policy has no future," ministry spokeswoman Maria Vanshina told Reuters. "In view of these unilateral and unjustified actions by the United States, Belarus will be obliged to adopt appropriate measures."

Western officials and Belarus's opposition say there are about a dozen political prisoners in the country's prisons.

These include Alexander Kozulin, one of two opposition candidates who challenged the president's re-election last year, who was jailed for 5 1/2 years on charges of incitement to violence in mass protests that followed the poll results.

Source:

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSL0788355620070807

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