BRUSSELS, January 27. /TASS/. Western sanctions have increasingly been wielded as a "weapon of mass economic destruction" against entire nations, asserted Konstantin Panasyuk, charge d'affaires of Belarus in Belgium, during the international conference in Brussels titled Unilateral Coercive Measures: Modern Threats and Challenges. The discussion centered on the devastating humanitarian repercussions of unilateral restrictive measures targeting the most vulnerable populations.

"I would only be slightly exaggerating if I compared the use of unilateral restrictions to weapons of mass destruction against entire nations," Panasyuk declared. "In reality, those who impose these measures are destroying people's lives under the guise of promoting their well-being."

He further emphasized that the international community has "missed the critical moment when legitimate UN Security Council sanctions began to be replaced by illegal unilateral prohibitive measures." Without adequate attention to this issue, he warned, many countries have transformed what was initially an illegal instrument into a new, normalized practice.

Legal perspectives

Professor Yelena Dovgan, UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, also addressed the conference.

"Sanctions kill - not through military action, but by targeting the most vulnerable groups within societies," she stated. "References to 'high values,' 'the fight for democracy,' or other noble justifications do not legitimize or justify these restrictions. In reality, we are witnessing one group of states interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign nations under the false pretext of 'exporting democracy and human rights,' all while flagrantly violating those very principles."

Dovgan highlighted specific cases from Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and other countries under Western sanctions, where populations suffer due to shortages of medicine, medical equipment, and the deterioration of economic infrastructure caused by restrictive measures.

She pointed out that the so-called humanitarian exemptions - intended to facilitate the flow of food and medicine - are often ineffective. This is due to the overzealous implementation of sanctions by Western banks and public and commercial entities, which fear engaging with sanctioned countries, thereby hampering aid delivery.

The conference gathered over 100 participants from more than 25 nations, including diplomatic heads, European Parliament members, experts, legal professionals, business leaders, representatives of EU institutions, and journalists.