The European Council renewed sanctions against Russia for its annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, it said in a June 18 press release. The sanctions, extended until June 23, 2021, ban imports from Crimea into the European Union; block exports of certain goods and technologies to Crimean companies; and place restrictions on Crimea’s transport, telecommunications and energy sectors.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned three people, eight entities and two ships for evading U.S. sanctions against Venezuela, according to a June 18 press release. OFAC also issued a general license authorizing certain wind-down activities with two of the sanctioned entities and the two sanctioned ships.

President Donald Trump on June 17 signed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 (see 2005280011), authorizing sanctions against Chinese officials for human rights abuses involving the country’s Uighur population. China has criticized the bill, warning that it will likely lead to heightened trade tensions (see 1912040046).

The U.S. on June 17 sanctioned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, members of his regime and other people and entities under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act (see 1912270034). In total, the Treasury Department and the State Department sanctioned 39 people and entities for supporting the Assad regime. The designations are the start of a “sustained campaign of economic and political pressure” against the regime, the State Department said.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned six Nigerian nationals who allegedly ran an email scheme to steal more than $6 million from U.S. companies and people, Treasury said June 16. The Nigerian nationals impersonated business executives and “engaged in romance fraud” -- in which they “masqueraded as affectionate partners to gain trust from victims” -- to receive wire transfers, Treasury said. The sanctions target Richard Uzuh, Micheal Olorunyomi, Alex Ogunshakin, Felix Okpoh, Nnamdi Benson and Abiola Kayode.

The Law Society of England and Wales recently issued guidance on working with clients on sanctions lists, a June 12 EU Sanctions blog post said. Attorneys should first ensure they do not have a “false-positive identification” and work to confirm their client is on a sanctions list, the society said. If the client is confirmed to be subject to sanctions, “suspend the transaction” and report it to the government or a money laundering compliance officer, the society said. Attorneys are required to “report sanctions-related information” to the United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, the guidance said: not doing so could lead to a penalty or criminal prosecution. Licenses may be available in certain situations, it added.

A new Russian law giving that country's courts “exclusive” jurisdiction over disputes involving sanctioned entities could affect “a lot” of business deals, a June 12 Baker McKenzie post said. The law, effective June 19, will give Russian commercial courts jurisdiction over disputes “directly or indirectly” involving sanctioned entities that “fall within the scope of Russian legislation,” the post said, including if one of the parties “cannot get access to justice [outside of Russia] because of sanctions.” Baker McKenzie advises companies to review their dispute resolution mechanism in contracts with Russian parties and to double-check the ownership structure of Russia-related business partners.

The U.S. will continue to authorize sanctions against Belarus officials and others for undermining the country’s democratic processes, the White House said June 11. The authorization, introduced in 2006, will remain in effect for at least one more year beyond the expiration date of June 16, 2020. The sanctions block property and freeze assets of designated people or companies.

Sudan urged the U.N. Security Council to lift sanctions on the country, saying current sanctions are worsening the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, a June 9 news release said. At the very least, the U.N. should establish “clear, well-identified and measurable benchmarks” for lifting the sanctions, a Sudan representative said. U.N. officials said the country is still marred by violence and sanctions are justified. “It is not to punish Sudan, but to support and achieve sustainable peace,” the Sudan Sanctions Committee chair, Estonian ambassador to the U.N. Sven Jurgenson, said in a report to the Security Council.

The International Criminal Court criticized a U.S. executive order that authorized sanctions against the ICC (see 2006110028), calling the order an “unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law” and saying it feels “profound regret” at the U.S.’s decision. “The ICC stands firmly by its staff and officials,” it said June 11, adding that the sanctions are aimed at “influencing the actions of ICC officials in the context of the Court's independent and objective investigations and impartial judicial proceedings.” President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute O-Gon Kwon called the sanctions “unprecedented.”