Claim: Alexander Lukashenko is president of a landlocked country and he has been criticized for human rights abuses.
Evidence: Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukashenko -LRB- Алякса́ндр Рыго́равіч Лукашэ́нка , Aliaksandr Ryhoravič Lukašenka , Алекса́ндр Григо́рьевич Лукаше́нко born 30 August 1954 -RRB- is the President of Belarus , in office since 20 July 1994.
Belarus -LRB- -LSB- bɛləˈruːs -RSB- Беларусь , Belaruś or Bełaruś , -LSB- bʲɛlaˈrusʲ -RSB- ; -LSB- Беларусь , Belarusʹ , bʲɪlɐˈrusʲ -RSB- -RRB- , officially the Republic of Belarus , formerly known by its Russian name Byelorussia or Belorussia , is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast , Ukraine to the south , Poland to the west , and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.
Lukashenko and other Belarusian officials are also the subject of sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States for human rights violations off and on since 2006.