EU Suspends most Belarus Sanctions, Ties 'Improving'

The EU suspended most sanctions against Belarus Thursday, citing "improving relations" after authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko released all remaining political prisoners, a statement said.

"This decision was taken in response to the release of all Belarusian political prisoners on 22 August and in the context of improving EU-Belarus relations," the statement said.

The EU had long demanded that Lukashenko -- dubbed Europe's “Last Dictator” by Washington -- release the prisoners as a condition for easing the sanctions regime.

"The EU has reacted to this progress, encouraging further positive developments that would lead to an improvement of EU-Belarus relations," the statement said.

"The EU will continue to closely monitor the situation of democracy and human rights in Belarus," it added.

The sanctions -- asset freezes and travel bans on 170 individuals and three entities -- will be suspended for four months, allowing the 28-nation EU to review progress early next year.

Diplomatic sources said Lukashenko was included in the suspension but officials could not immediately confirm this.

The names of those involved will be published in the EU's Official Journal on Friday.

Lukashenko, 61, won a fifth consecutive term by a landslide earlier this month after pointedly warning the opposition against any protests that could derail the lifting of the EU sanctions.

EU member states led by Germany said the polls passed off without major incident but Washington voiced disappointment, saying they fell "significantly short" of the country's commitment to free and fair polls.

Opposition leaders had urged Brussels not to lift the sanctions and warned they would not recognize the results of the poll.

"If they are together with this murderer, this criminal, then democracy is just words," said Mikola Statkevich, who was among those released from jail ahead of the October 12 vote.

In power since 1994, Lukashenko launched a crackdown on the opposition after thousands took to the streets to protest his disputed re-election in December 2010.

A shrewd operator, he has since raised his standing with Brussels by seeking to distance his ex-Soviet nation from Russia over the Ukraine crisis.

He has played a key role in mediation efforts to resolve the conflict, hosting a series of ceasefire talks between Kiev and pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine in the capital Minsk.

After many false starts, the ceasefire finally began to take hold in September with a sharp reduction in fighting.

Sanctions will remain in place for four people involved in "unresolved disappearances in Belarus," along with the EU arms embargo, the EU statement said.