Hardmen briefing

Belarus

EU foreign ministers on Monday (31 January) reinstated sanctions that had been suspended in 2008. They imposed visa bans on 158 persons involved in election fraud in December and in a post-election crackdown on the opposition, and froze the assets of all but one of them. Yesterday (2 February), the European Commission announced that it would provide €1.7 million in immediate emergency assistance to support “victims of repression” in Belarus, and that it would increase its aid for civil society in the country from €4m to €15.6m in 2011-13.

Côte d’Ivoire

The EU extended visa bans and asset freezes imposed in December to six additional persons associated with Laurent Gbagbo, the former president of Côte d’Ivoire, who is refusing to hand over power to Alassane Ouattara, the winner of the November election. A total of 91 persons and 13 economic entities are now under EU sanctions.

Tunisia

The ministers also froze the assets of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia’s ousted president, and Leïla Trabelsi, his wife. Switzerland, which is not a member of the EU, froze their assets on 19 January. According to diplomats, the assets of Ben Ali’s in-laws and associates are to be frozen in the coming weeks, in close consultation with Tunisia’s transitional government.

Jordan

King Abdullah of Jordan dismissed his government on Tuesday (1 February) and asked Marouf al-Bakhit, a former military officer, to serve as prime minister, a position he has held previously. The Muslim Brotherhood, Jordan’s main opposition group, said that the change was not enough. Jordanians have been demonstrating against the government – but not the king – in their thousands, primarily in response to economic liberalisation, which has led to price hikes. 

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