US takes aim at autocrat

WASHINGTON - The United States has announced new sanctions against the authoritarian regime in Belarus, including a freeze on financial assets held in the US by President Alexander Lukashenko and other senior Government officials.

Lukashenko, whose autocratic ways have long incensed Washington and its European allies, has been added to the Treasury Department's list of "specially designated nationals". Any assets he holds in America will automatically be blocked, and US citizens are prohibited from having dealings with him.

Other officials being targeted include the Minister of Justice, Lukashenko's national security adviser, the Interior Minister, the chief of the Belarus KGB, the head of the national election commission, and the head of state television and radio.

Lukashenko has held absolute power in Belarus since 1994. His most recent election victory on March 19 has been described as a fraud by Western governments. The Bush Administration has described him as "Europe's last dictator", and Belarus features in the US list of "outposts of tyranny", along with Zimbabwe, Myanmar and Cuba.

- INDEPENDENT