Opposition leader says Belarus has become 'North Korea of Europe'

FILE PHOTO: Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya speaks to members of the Belarusian community at the Old Town Square in Prague, Czech Republic, June 7, 2021. REUTERS/David W Cerny/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's crackdown on pro-democracy protests and the independent media is turning his nation into "the North Korea of Europe," the country's opposition leader told U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged tougher U.S. and European Union sanctions targeting Lukashenko's income sources, including "cronies who finance the regime" and state-run enterprises.