Belarusian de facto authorities have consistently tried to convey a message that sanctions are not a constructive way to solve a crisis where the statehood of Belarus is at stake. In anticipation of the re-imposition of EU sanctions, Belarusian de facto Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei asked the EU to be understanding of the “painful stages of maturing as a nation”, which every country is bound to experience. When re-imposition of sanctions followed, Makei continued to question the effectiveness of sanctions, stating that “no matter how beautifully wrapped, sanctions have never led to positive change” and suggesting that Belarus will provide an “adequate response”. State-sponsored and state-controlled TV channels stated that sanctions will only strengthen the Belarusian “immune system”.
In response to the third round of EU sanctions, Makei stated that Minsk categorically rejects the logic of and politics behind sanctions. Besides declaring that Belarus would proceed to impose travel bans on EU residents, Makei also mentioned that Belarusian authorities would “limit the activities of certain political foundations in Belarus and reconsider the modality of implementing certain humanitarian, educational, and cultural programs, … including those under the auspices of foreign embassies”. Belarusian de facto Prime-Minister Roman Golovchenko has blamed the “collective West” for slowing down the economic development of Belarus through sanctions.
In response to the extension of the United States’ sanctions list, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that such actions do not support Belarusian independence, and impose a “human rights dictatorship”. The higher chamber of the Belarusian parliament characterised the passing of the Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2020 as an interference in Belarusian internal affairs and a threat to international peace and security.
The Belarusian Federation of Labour Unions, notorious for its subordination to Belarusian authorities, appealed to the United Nations, asking the Human Rights Council to declare that unilateral restrictive measures adopted by the EU violate the labour rights of Belarusians. The Federation has also prepared an open letter to the International Labour Organization, criticizing sanctions as unfounded and harmful for the workers. Reportedly, many of the signees were forced to join the open letter by senior officials. The Federation did not provide any commentary on the mass termination of labour contracts with the employees of Belarusian enterprises who spoke against election fraud and violence. Moreover, the head of the Federation of Professional Unions, Mikhail Orda, said that the organization intends to initiate a lawsuit to the International Court of Justice of the United Nations in order to give a legal assessment of the legality of the documents fixing the sanctions regime against Belarus. Moreover, Orda announced his intention to file a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus to assess the legality of actions by European countries against Belarusian workers.
**The statement of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry dated 28 June 2021 **says that in response to the 4th package of EU sanctions, the de facto authorities of Belarus suspended participation in the Eastern Partnership initiative and began implementing the procedure for suspending the Readmission Agreement with the EU. Moreover, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to the EU is being recalled to Minsk for consultations, and the Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Belarus has also been invited to travel to Brussels for consultations in order to convey to his leadership the position of the Belarusian side on the unacceptability of pressure and sanctions. In addition, representatives of European structures and persons from European Union countries who contributed to the introduction of restrictive measures will be banned from entering Belarus in response. The statement also says that the Belarusian side continues to develop other response measures, including economic ones.
The response of the de facto authorities also affected educational initiatives. Germany’s Goethe Institute and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) have been told to suspend their Belarus activities.
Moreover, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has resumed the practice of preparing reports on the most high-profile cases of human rights violations in certain Western countries. The **Report **describes the human rights situation in countries that have imposed sanctions against the de facto authorities of the Republic of Belarus.
On December 31, 2021, **amendments to the Criminal Code **came into force - Article 361 was changed, criminalizing calls for sanctions (in the new edition, this article is called “Calls for restrictive measures (sanctions), other actions aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus”). The maximum sentence under this article has increased from 7 to 12 years of imprisonment.
On January 1, 2022, the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of December 6, 2021 No. 700 “On the Application of Special Measures for Certain Types of Goods” came into force, which introduces a ban on the import of a number of goods from the European Union and its member states, the United States America, Canada, Norway, Albania, Iceland, North Macedonia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Switzerland (“states carrying out unfriendly actions towards Belarus”). According to BelTA, the list of prohibited goods includes various types of meat, sausages, milk and dairy products, vegetables and fruits. The authorities also approved a provision on quotas for the import of certain types of goods into Belarus.