On May 22, 2025, the European Parliament approved higher tariffs on Belarusian agricultural imports to the European Union. That same day, correspondent Andrei Sych discussed the topic of sanctions on Belarus with guest Stanislovas Tomas, introduced as a human rights advocate and Sorbonne Ph.D., on the show “Current Interview” on News.by.
“So, these are probably illegal because only the UN can authorize sanctions, right?” Andrei Sych asked.
“Of course, of course, absolutely. The transit of Belarusian products is definitely one area where there’s a case for taking the issue to the International Court in The Hague,” the guest replied.
The UN Charter does not prohibit individual countries or groups of countries from imposing their own sanctions. An official 2024 document from the EU Council, which regulates the use of sanctions, states that if the UN Security Council imposes restrictions on a country, the European Union is required to follow them. At the same time, the third section of the document grants the EU the right to pursue its own sanctions policy.
These are what’s known as autonomous sanctions, which the European Union can impose if it sees a terrorist or military threat in a given country. Or if it wants to apply pressure for human rights violations, undermining the rule of law, and so on.
Lithuanian national Stanislovas Tomas, who appeared as an expert, has been featured in a BIC article about promoting the idea at the UN that lifting sanctions on Belarus would save Africa from hunger. In Lithuania he lost his paralegal credentials over serious ethical violations. In 2016, the European Court of Human Rights permanently banned him from representing clients, after which he became a regular guest on Belarusian TV and sought political asylum in the country.