Biden administration takes action against Lukashenko regime on third anniversary of fraudulent election

The Biden administration on Wednesday took action against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko to mark the third anniversary of the fraudulent election in Belarus and the strongman leader's brutal crackdown on protesters.

The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on eight individuals and five entities, including "several entities involved in the Belarusian regime's continued civil society repression, complicity in the Russian Federation's unjustified war in Ukraine and enrichment of repressive Belarusian regime leader" Lukashenko. They also identified one aircraft as blocked property.

At the same time, the US State Department is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on 101 regime officials and their affiliates "for their involvement in undermining or suppressing democratic institutions in Belarus," according to the Treasury news release.

Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been shunned by much of the international community and has been under US sanctions since 2006. He clung to power in August 2020 in an election that was rejected by the West as "neither free nor fair." In the years since, his regime has engaged in a campaign of repression against protesters, dissidents and journalists, and has been linked to serious abuses tied to Russia's war in Ukraine.

"Today's actions disrupt the state-owned enterprises and key government officials the authoritarian Lukashenka regime relies on to generate substantial revenue to support its fiercely undemocratic and repressive policies," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement. "In line with our partners and Allies, we will continue to ensure that the regime pays a price for its abysmal treatment of its own citizens and that our measures in response to Russia's aggression cannot be circumvented through Belarus."

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed the new sanctions as "essential."

"It hits the regime's companies and its ability to enrich itself. It sends a crucial message to the regime. There will not be impunity," she said in an exclusive statement to CNN.