U.S. to Snap Sanctions on Belarus State Companies Amid Crackdown

The U.S. will sanction nine petrochemical companies from Belarus next month unless President Alexander Lukashenko releases political prisoners and starts talks with his opponents, the State Department said Wednesday.

“Regrettably, we find the human rights situation has deteriorated to arguably the worst point in Belarus’s independent history,” spokesman Ned Price said during a press briefing.

State-owned petrochemical giant Belneftekhim, the Naftan refinery and seven other companies may lose protection under a general license from the Treasury Department that was issued in 2015 after Lukashenko released a previous batch of political prisoners.

With more than 300 political activists in prisons ...