The U.N. Security Council removed sanctions from Abdelhafiz Zlitni, who was designated for being a Libyan government official. The U.N. also listed him as serving as the temporary head of the Central Bank of Libya. It didn’t release more information.

China last week imposed sanctions on Canada-based organizations and others in response to Canada’s recent sanctions against Chinese officials for human rights violations (see 2412110016). The designations, taken under Beijing’s Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, target the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project in Canada and the Canada-Tibet Committee, along with a list of the groups’ officials, according to an unofficial translation of a notice from China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry. The sanctions block their property in China and prohibit them from doing business in the country.

The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended one entry under its Belarus sanctions regime on Dec. 19. OFSI altered the listing for Mikail Gutseriev, a Cypriot-Russian businessman, to establish that he was being sanctioned for "owning or controlling directly or indirectly" Belarussian energy companies JSC NK Neftisa and PJSC RussNeft.

The U.S. and the U.K. this week sanctioned several Georgian government officials for their involvement in the violent suppression of media members, opposition figures and protesters, and other human rights violations aimed at stifling civil dissent. The Office of Foreign Assets Control said some of those "brutal crackdowns" took place in November after Georgia's prime minister announced the country planned to suspend negotiations around joining the EU, prompting country-wide protests.

The U.S. sanctioned several entities and vessels this week that it said are trading in Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals, which is helping to generate billions of dollars in revenue for Iran’s government.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned a range of people and entities for their roles in arms trafficking, money laundering, oil shipping and other activities that support the Yemen-based Houthis. OFAC said the designations specifically target key “smuggling operatives” and financial facilitators that allow the Houthis, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, to buy and move dual-use items and weapons parts.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control updated its online landing page for licenses to improve the “user experience,” published a new guide on checking the status of specific license applications and issued a set of best practices on applying for a license. The best practices guidance includes a checklist of do’s and don’t’s that applicants should follow when preparing an application and awaiting a decision.

The U.K. amended its listing for Autel Robotics Co., Ltd., under the Russia sanctions regime on Dec. 18 to reflect a different address. The company was originally sanctioned in July for making unmanned aerial vehicle systems for the Russian military.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned three people and four entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina that are part of a sanctioned financial network propping up Milorad Dodik, the designated president of the Serb Republic, which is a political division of Bosnia not to be confused with Serbia.

The U.S. this week announced sanctions on entities, ships and one person that are involved in the construction of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline or that are linked to the project. Each was previously sanctioned under the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act, but the State Department said it’s redesignating them under a 2021 Russia-related executive order.