UK imposes sanctions on Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko

Asset freeze and travel ban come with censure of regime's thuggery' against its people

The UK has imposed sanctions on the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, his son and six other senior government officials judged to be responsible for rigging the August presidential poll and suppressing subsequent street protests.

The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, announced the sanctions on Tuesday in coordination with a similar move from Canada. We will hold those responsible for the thuggery deployed against the Belarusian people to account and we will stand up for our values of democracy and human rights," he said.