The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control is removing the Terrorism Sanctions Regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations, OFAC said in a notice. The change was made due to the “termination of the national emergency on which the regulations were based.” The change will not affect any action taken or any action pending and not “finally concluded” as of 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 10, 2019, the notice said. The change is effective March 10.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation removed two entries from its sanctions list for misappropriation of funds and human rights violations related to Ukraine, according to a March 6 notice. The entries, Mykola Yanovych Azarov Edward Stavytskyi, are no longer subject to an asset freeze.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended five entries under the country’s Libya sanctions, according to a March 6 notice. The entries are still subject to an asset freeze.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added three entries to its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions list, according to a March 5 notice. The sanctions targeted Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, the “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant -- Libya,” and the “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant -- Yemen.” The three entries were added to the United Nations ISIL (Da’esh), al‑Qaida sanctions list March 4.
The European Council renewed sanctions against 10 people for the misappropriation of Ukrainian state funds and corruption, the council said March 5. The sanctions, which include asset freezes, were renewed for one year until March 6, 2021.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a frequently asked question March 6 clarifying how humanitarian goods can be sent to Iran to assist with the coronavirus outbreak. OFAC said there are a “number of ways” humanitarian goods, including donations, can be sent to the country, adding that medical-related donations are “generally exempt” from U.S. sanctions if those donations are not being sent to the Iranian government or others blocked by the Iranian Transactions Sanctions Regulations. OFAC also said donations are not authorized for shipments to entries on the agency’s Specially Designated Nationals List. Nongovernmental organizations are authorized under General License E to export services to Iran “in support of certain not-for-profit activities designed to directly benefit the Iranian people,” OFAC said. Others interested in exporting humanitarian goods to Iran should review the ITSR and other OFAC guidance, the agency said.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the Nicaraguan National Police (NNP) and three police commissioners, and issued two general licenses and a new frequently asked question, according to a March 5 news release. The sanctions target the police force for its role in human rights abuses, Treasury said, as well as commissioners Juan Antonio Valle Valle, Luis Alberto Perez Olivas and Justo Pastor Urbina for their roles as senior leaders of the group.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended an entry in its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions regulations, according to a March 4 notice. The action amends the entry for Amadou Koufa, the founder of a West African terrorist group who was sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council in February (see 2002050016). Koufa is still subject to an asset freeze.
Huawei was involved in illegally sending U.S.-origin computer equipment to Iran, according to a March 2 Reuters report. Reuters said it reviewed two Huawei “packing lists” from 2010 that show Huawei sent equipment made by Hewlett-Packard Co. destined for Iran’s largest mobile phone carrier. The documents provide the “strongest documentary evidence to date” of Huawei violating U.S. sanctions despite claims from Huawei that it has not violated sanctions, Reuters said.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended two entries on its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions list, according to a March 2 notice. The changes affected the entries for the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and the Islamic State West Africa Province. The two groups were sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council in February (see 2002260038).