WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday denounced a bid by protest-hit Belarus to expel opposition leaders and said the US was considering further sanctions.
Pompeo said the US was “deeply concerned” by the action Monday against Maria Kolesnikova, one of the most prominent opposition figures still in the country and commended her “courage”.
“The US, in coordination with our partners and allies, is considering additional targeted sanctions to promote accountability for those involved in human rights abuses and repression in Belarus,” he said in a statement.
Border officials said Kolesnikova had been trying to flee the country.
But two colleagues with her said that authorities had tried to forcibly expel her into Ukraine and that she tore up her passport and jumped out of a car window to stay.
“We remind the Belarusian authorities of their responsibility to ensure the safety of Ms Kolesnikova and all those unjustly detained,” Pompeo said.
“We call on the Belarusian authorities to end the violence against their own people, release all those who have been unjustly detained, including US citizen Vitali Shkliarov, and engage in meaningful dialogue with genuine representatives of Belarusian society.”
Shkliarov is a Washington-based political analyst who was detained on a visit to his native Belarus and accused of helping plot mass unrest, a charge he denies.
He is a visiting scholar at Harvard University and worked on Senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.
Police in Belarus have been intensifying their crackdown on the opposition, with more than 600 people arrested on Sunday at the latest huge weekend protest against strongman Alexander Lukashenko, a Moscow ally who is facing his biggest challenge to his 26-year rule.
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