Canada Imposes Sanctions On Belarus

Canada is imposing trade sanctions on Belarus in a bid to pressure the country's rulers to respect human rights and democracy.

Under the sanctions, Canadian exports to Belarus will now require an official export permit, and officials say these permits will generally be denied except for humanitarian exports of food, clothing, and medicine.

In a written statement, Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay cited flawed elections and the continued imprisonment of democracy supporters as examples of the flagrant abuse of human rights and the rule of law by Belarusian authorities.

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