Belarus Bars Critics From Leaving the Country MOSCOW - In a move seemingly taken from a Soviet dictator's handbook, the government of Belarus has apparently started barring opponents of President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko from leaving the former Soviet republic. Over the last week, at least 10 journalists, opposition political figures and human rights workers have been either prevented from crossing the country's border with the European Union or informed that they are no longer permitted to leave Belarus. Though the authorities have offered no explanation, the travel bans appear to be a response to new sanctions imposed by the European Union last month on Mr. Lukashenko's government. Among other measures, the sanctions prevent top officials from entering the European Union. On Thursday, border guards refused to allow two independent journalists to travel to Poland to attend a conference of Belarussian non-governmental organizations. One of them, Mikhail Yanchuk, the head of the country's only independent television station, said he was kicked off a train at the Polish border without explanation and given a stamp in his passport that will prevent him from leaving in the future. His colleague, Zhanna Litvina, the head of the Belarussian Association of Journalists, was stopped from boarding a flight. "This fits in with other methods employed in the fight against civil society over the last 17 years, but it is certainly a new one," Mr. Yanchuk said by telephone. It is being carried out to make our lives just a little more difficult. Belarus's embattled opposition appears to have become tangled in an increasingly intractable diplomatic conflict between the European Union and Mr. Lukashenko, who has ruled since 1994. Over the last year, European leaders have sought to steadily increase pressure on authorities in Belarus, imposing travel bans and asset freezes in response to the frequent harassment of government opponents. Mr. Lukashenko has responded by further cracking down. After crushing a large anti-government protest against Mr. Lukashenko's victory in apparently fraud-riddled elections in December 2010, the authorities have moved to eliminate any remaining vestiges of dissent. Dozens of opposition figures have been jailed and many more have fled the country. Until this month, however, the authorities seemed more than happy to allow government opponents to leave rather than have them continue to enflame opinion within the country. Opposition figures have often taken advantage of their freedom to travel to visit with Western leaders and denounce Mr. Lukashenko from the safety of European capitals. It is unclear how the government could impose a complete ban on traveling abroad even if it wanted to. Though authorities can shut down the border with the European Union, people crossing into Russia are not subject to passport checks. Regardless, word of further repression will likely further strain relations with the European Union, which recalled the ambassadors of all its member countries from Belarus in February and is expected to hold talks on expanding sanctions soon. Some opposition figures worry, however, that any additional pressure on Mr. Lukashenko could ultimately complicate their own lives. More sanctions could give authorities an excuse to "barricade the country and further decrease the influence of Europe," said Oleg Gulak, the director of the Belarus Helsinki Group. Mr. Gulak, who is one of the few independent rights monitors left in the country, was also told this week that he was banned from traveling abroad.