Ottawa - (AFP) - The Canadian government announced on Tuesday that it will impose new sanctions on Belarusian officials, while the leader of the Belarusian opposition in exile, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, is visiting the country to urge Ottawa to maintain pressure on the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.

This batch of sanctions targets 22 officials of the regime and 15 institutions related to "the manufacture of military equipment, technology, engineering, banking, and railway transportation." In total, Canada's sanctions affect more than 100 individuals and companies in the country.

In a statement, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie accused the Belarusian president's regime of letting "its lands turn into a launching pad for Russia's horrific attacks on Ukraine."

Jolie denounced Belarusian leaders for allowing "the Russian regime to commit human rights violations in places like Bucha, Izyum and Mariupol" in Ukraine, and criticized "President Putin's use of food and energy as weapons."

"We know that there are human rights violations in Belarus, and we also know that Belarus is complicit in the Russian invasion of Ukraine," she added.

Tikhanovskaya announced, in an interview with the press, Monday, her intention to ask the Canadian Prime Minister to "impose sanctions" on officials in Alexander Lukashenko's regime.

"Today, the very existence of Belarus is threatened," she said.

It also announced that it intends to seek more assistance for Belarusian civil society, in particular for independent journalists, but also for the approximately 1,400 political prisoners and their families.

Tikhanovskaya lives in exile after fleeing abroad from violent crackdowns launched by Lukashenko, who declared victory in the 2020 elections and is considered "stolen" by the West.