The Court of the European Union refused to lift sanctions against Belaruskali AAT (Belarus), one of the world’s largest potash fertilizer producers, and its CEO, Ivan Golovaty.
The court issued these decisions on September 18.
Ivan Golovaty was included in the EU’s sanctions list for his support of President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. The justification for the sanctions states: “Golovaty is the CEO of Belaruskali, a state-owned enterprise that is the main source of revenue and foreign currency for Lukashenko’s regime. He is closely associated with Lukashenko and members of his family, thus benefiting from the regime and supporting it. Belaruskali employees who participated in strikes and peaceful protests following the rigged presidential election in Belarus in August 2020 lost their bonuses and were fired. Lukashenko himself threatened to replace striking miners from Ukraine, so Ivan Golovaty bears responsibility for the repression of civil society.”
Golovaty’s lawyers argued in court that “Belaruskali shares belong to the Republic of Belarus. However, the government of the Republic is not subject to any restrictive measures and apparently does not fall under Lukashenko’s regime. Moreover, the fact that Belaruskali shares are owned by the Republic does not mean the company supports or benefits from the Lukashenko regime.”
However, these allegations did not lead to sanctions being lifted.
The court also refused to lift sanctions on the Belaruskali company despite its lawyers claiming that none of its employees who protested against Lukashenko were fired.
