BRUSSELS - Denying the Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko a visa to enter the European Union. It will be one of the consequences of the restrictions that Brussels is preparing to reintroduce to sanction the suppression of the opposition following the consultation in which the strong man of Minsk was re-elected with 80% of the vote.A European diplomat said that during a meeting with the permanent representatives of the 27 "have decided to launch the" to reinstate the restrictions on visas for the Belarusian leader and several members of his regime. The EU in 2006 had already imposed similar sanctions against Lukashenko and some forty men of his circle.
In 2008 the sanctions were suspended in the hope of encouraging democratic development in former Soviet republic. At the meeting, according to the diplomat, has run coagulated "a broad consensus to send a strong claim to Belarus and the immediate release of all persons arrested for political reasons." On 19 December last year more than 600 opponents of Lukashenko were arrested for having staged protests after the release of presidential election results and events had resulted in violent riots.
Among those arrested were also a number of opposition candidates. In the days following the Lukashenko government had closed the office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk.
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