Thank you for the question.
I would say that both general sanctions and targeted sanctions are effective. With general sanctions, there are an assessment and the attitude of the international community toward the situation of the abuse of human rights, both in Russian and Belarus, and in other places in the former Soviet Union. I am the living proof of the effectiveness of both general and targeted sanctions, because I was released only due to the fact that for the first time the European Union introduced economic sanctions against the businessmen that were close to Lukashenko and close to and supportive of the regime. Only this made them release me.
When these sanctions started to be contemplated—again, it was done for the first time in Belarus—we had what I call the “visa ban tourist sanctions”, which were not sanctions but a very mild instrument. After the crackdown in 2010, when many of us were in jail, me included, the attitude in jail was very difficult.... There was a horrendous attitude on the part of the authorities.
Then, after the condemnation statements from different states, including Canada—for which I am very grateful because without that solidarity and support it would not have been possible to survive in there—they started to contemplate targeted economic sanctions on businessmen. Even when they had just started to do this in Brussels, already I felt the attitude changing inside the prison where I was. They were becoming not so aggressive and not so arrogant, because they were afraid of being included. Even some of the wardens who I saw told me openly—confidentially, of course—that they were afraid that they or their families would be included in the blacklist. Then the targeted sanctions followed, and two businessmen close to the dictator were targeted by the sanctions. Immediately, they started the procedure for my release and the release of my friend, the manager of my presidential campaign.
I would say that it's the combination, because we need first of all to feel the attitude of the international democratic community towards the atrocities in a country, and then, of course, there are the targeted sanctions. What I want also to stress and is sometimes underestimated is that all the oppression and all the abuse of human rights and basic freedoms that we see now in Russia were tested in Belarus. Lukashenko's model existed long before Putin came into power, and believe me, they do watch each other, these dictators. They also watch the attitude of the west towards their policies. When the west becomes soft on Lukashenko, it first of all gives Putin a lesson and the false idea that he can go ahead in Ukraine and elsewhere in Russia.
I've always supported sanctions, even in prison when it was difficult for me to publicly state that I was in favour of sanctions because it immediately brought repercussions for me and my life in prison. I've always supported that. Unfortunately, they're the only instrument that is effective, and that is soft power.