On June 13, the U.S. Congress has decided to extend sanctions on Belarus for one more year. “The Government of Belarus continued its crackdown against political opposition, civil society, and independent media. The September 23 elections failed to meet international standards,” the document posted on the White House website says. Moreover, it provides evidence that the Belarus authorities imprisoned its citizens for criticizing the officials and taking part in demonstrations. Moreover, the country has no freedom of speech due to the government control over mass media. It was George W. Bush who who initiated sanctions against the country's President Aleksander Lukashenko, the Belarus officials, and their family members in 2006. In 2010, after another “democratic elections” , the U.S. introduced new restrictions for Belarus in addition to the ban on doing business and holding assets in the USA . Meanwhile, the U.S. citizens were barred from collaboration with government-owned companies in Belarus.
The country's authorities are not capable of making decisions on their own and are reluctant to change the current situation. The actual state of affairs only may contribute to the further sanctions' list expansion.
