The Belarusian American Association (BAZA) strongly condemns the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine and the participation of Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s illegitimate Belarusian regime in this aggression.
The current armed attack by the Russian Federation against Ukraine is unlawful. It carries the characteristics of an international war crime. The incumbent authorities of the Republic of Belarus are complicit in supporting these illegal actions.
We urge the United States government to take further action by:
● Designating Russia as a state sponsor of terror, and declaring Putin a war criminal
● Enforcing the Magnitsky Act on the Russian leadership and elites who profit from human rights violations inside and outside of Russia
● Cutting off Russia from all international public and private financial markets including SWIFT, trading sovereign debt, and trading sovereign currency
● Banning Russian government/propaganda accounts from all US media platforms including government officials who use social media platforms to promote state propaganda
● Directing US companies to cease all operations within Russia and enacting an energy embargo
● Identifying, exposing, and freezing the assets of all entities related to Putin and his officials.
In addition to the limited sanctions already announced, further measures are necessary to send a decisive message to the Belarusian regime. We call on the international community to take a firm stand on both the leadership of the aggressor state and Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s illegitimate regime in Belarus.
The recognition of the so-called “LPR” and “DPR” by the Belarusian regime of Aliaksandr Lukashenka is a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and a treasonous act against the national interests of Belarus and the Belarusian people,
We believe that the future of Belarus and the region will depend on the success of Ukraine in repelling this aggression.
BAZA calls on the international community to give its full support to the defense of Ukraine against the armed aggression of the Russian Federation.
Founded in 1949, the BAZAis the largest organization of Belarusian Americans in the United States.
2711 Woodley Place NW, Washington, D.C. 20008 e-mail: bazadcinfo@gmail.com
