Obama extends 'national emergency' on Belarus
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 14 June 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Obama extends 'national emergency' on Belarus, 14 June 2012, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4fdb2f76c.html [accessed 25 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
June 14, 2012
By RFE/RL
U.S. President Barack Obama has extended the designation of "national emergency" to relations with Belarus, saying the actions of certain government officials "continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States."
The declaration allows Washington to maintain sanctions against individuals and specific companies in the authoritarian Eastern European country.
The designation was first made in 2006, by then-President George W. Bush, who also ordered measures blocking the property of people the White House said were undermining democratic processes or institutions in Belarus.
Obama said the government crackdown that began in 2011 "show[s] that the Government of Belarus has taken additional steps backward in the development of democratic governance and respect for human rights."
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
