The United Kingdom and Canada on Sept. 29 imposed sanctions on Belarusian officials (see 2009250010) for human rights violations related to the country’s rigged elections. The U.K. sanctioned eight officials and Canada listed 11. Both lists include Aleksandr Lukashenko, who claimed victory in the recent presidential election.
The U.S. sanctioned 20 people and entities for supporting Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime and issued a new general license and frequently asked question. The sanctions, announced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the State Department Sept. 30, target Assad regime officials, military officials, financiers and their businesses.
The U.S. sanctioned two Iranian officials and four entities for human rights violations, the State Department said Sept. 24. The designations target Iranian Judges Seyyed Mahmoud Sadati and Mohammad Soltani for sentencing people on “dubious charges” related to freedom of speech. Also designated are the Shiraz Revolutionary Court's Branch 1 and the Adel Abad, Orumiyeh and Vakilabad prisons.
The United Kingdom is working with the European Union, the U.S. and Canada to impose sanctions on those responsible for the rigged elections in Belarus (see 2001150022), U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Sept. 24. Raab said he has directed the U.K.’s sanctions team to prepare Magnitsky human rights sanctions and will coordinate listings with the U.S. and Canada. If Belarusian officials do not “respond” to the sanctions, Raab said the U.K. will consider “further actions with our international partners.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Sept. 22 issued another reminder (see 2007010042) to industry to file annual reports on blocked property by Sept. 30. The notice applies to blocked property held as of June 30. The notice includes a link to the blocked property report spreadsheet and guidance on filing the reports.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 15 people and entities for supporting Russian government operative Yevgeniy Prigozhin and the Russian Federal Security Service, OFAC said Sept. 23. The designations are designed to increase pressure on Prigozhin, who runs and finances the Internet Research Agency, a Russian troll farm that was sanctioned by OFAC in 2018.
The European Union and the United Kingdom sanctioned two people for human rights violations in Libya and three entities for violating the United Nations arms embargo targeting Libya, the EU said Sept. 21. The designations are for Mahmoud al-Werfalli, a commander of the Benghazi-based al-Saiqa Brigade, and Moussa Diab, who helped illegally detain migrants and refugees in camps. The sanctions also target Sigma Airlines, Avrasya Shipping and Med Wave Shipping, commercial cargo companies.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned five people for helping the Nicolas Maduro regime undermine democracy in Venezuela. The designations target Miguel Antonio Jose Ponente Parra, Guillermo Antonio Luces Osorio, Jose Bernabe Gutierrez Parra, Chaim Jose Bucaran Paraguan and Williams Jose Benavides Rondon, a Sept. 22 news release said. All have helped Maduro manipulate the country’s parliamentary elections by placing control of Venezuela’s opposition parties “in the hands of politicians affiliated” with the Maduro regime, OFAC said. The agency also revised its sanctions entry for Maduro.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation revised 11 entries under its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions. The revisions include changes to identifying information for the entries, which remain subject to an asset freeze, OFSI said Sept. 18.
The U.S. officially initiated the snapback of United Nations sanctions on Iran (see 2008210009), Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sept. 19. The move will return “virtually all” sanctions on Iran that were previously terminated by the U.N. under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Pompeo said. He said the U.S. made the move because the U.N. did not extend the Iranian arms embargo scheduled to expire in October (see 2004130011).