Brussels, 13/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - The EU should take new, particularly economic, sanctions against the Belarusian regime of Alexander Lukashenko, the European Parliament states in a resolution adopted on Thursday 12 May, in Strasbourg. “Restrictive measures” (visa ban, assets freeze) in place against the president and his inner circle should be extended to also contain targeted economic sanctions, especially against state enterprises, MEPs say. The same day, six Belarusian opponents were condemned to penalties ranging from three to three and a half years of imprisonment for their participation in an opposition protest in December last year against Lukashenko's re-election. The head of state's main rival in the election, Andreï Sannikov, had already been condemned at the end of April for organising massive public disorder. In its resolution, the EP considers that all charges held against Sannikov, and also against other former candidates, are “illegal and unacceptable”. It therefore calls for the candidates to be acquitted and released. MEPs also want Minsk to put an end to the current procedure for closing down the Narodnaya Volia and Nasha Niva weeklies, and to end restricted access to two independent internet portals, Karta '97 and Bielorusskij Partizan. (H.B./transl.jl)