The European Union plans to slap sanctions on 21 police and judicial officials in Belarus deemed responsible for repressing the opposition, an EU diplomat said.
"They are highly-placed police officers and magistrates considered to be behind the arrest and sentencing of people opposed to the regime," the source said.
The EU has already slapped an assets freeze and visa ban on 210 people over the continuing repression by President Alexander Lukashenko's regime of civil society, the political opposition and the independent media, EUbusiness reported.
The assets of three entities linked to the regime also remain frozen while exports to Belarus of arms and materials that might be used for internal repression are prohibited.
Earlier, the European Union tightened sanctions on Belarus, slapping an assets freeze and travel ban against two persons involved in the controversial trial of a human rights campaigner Ales Beliatsky.
The assets of three entities linked to the regime also remain frozen while exports to Belarus of arms and materials that might be used for internal repression are prohibited.
The latest measures were taken in December following the controversial trial of human rights campaigner Ales Beliatsky. He is the leader of the banned "Vyasna" (Spring) human rights group and a leading opponent of Lukashenko, who has the ruled ex-Soviet republic since 1994.
