The European Union temporarily lifted sanctions from Lukashenko

The European Union officially suspended sanctions against President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. According to Interfax, referring to the message of the EU Council, restrictive measures against three legal and 170 individuals of Belarus were removed until February 29, 2016, their assets in European banks are defrosted.

The sanctions were lifted with respect to Beltekhkport, Beltech Holding, Special Privorservice. Also, by a court decision of October 6, the sanctions against four more organizations are terminated: LLC Triple Metal Trade, JV LLC Triple-Techno, MSSFC Logoysk, Triple-Agro ACC.

The decision to remove the sanctions "was made in response to the release of all Belarusian political prisoners on August 22 and in the context of improving the EU relations - Belarusia," the EU Council press service said. The document notes that "the liberation of all political prisoners was a long -awaited step for the European Union."

On August 22, Lukashenko decided to pardon and release from the conclusion of the ex-candidate to the President of Nikolai Statkevich as well as other political prisoners: Nikolai Dedka, Igor Olenevich, Evgeny Vaskovich, Artem Prokopenko, Yuri Rubtsova. Meanwhile, at least three political zones remain in prisons - these are the defendants in the “ Graffitist affairs ” Maxim Pekarsky, Vadim Zheromsky and Vyacheslav Kasinerov.