International sanctions should be lifted to prevent hunger crises in countries significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Hilal Elver, United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food, said March 31. Suspended sanctions could help Syria, Venezuela, Iran, Cuba and Zimbabwe, which are “already under stress and cannot handle the additional burden of sanctions,” Elver said. Sanctions may also be disproportionately impacting civilians in Yemen, South Sudan, Gaza and Syria, Elver said. A UN official previously called for the removal of global sectoral sanctions (see 2003250010).
The U.S. will continue sanctions against South Sudan due to the country’s human rights abuses, violence and “obstruction of humanitarian operations,” the White House said April 1. The sanctions were renewed for one year beyond April 3, 2020.
The United Nations Security Council renewed the mandate of the panel of experts advising the committee that oversees North Korea sanctions, the UN said March 31. The mandate, which was renewed until April 30, 2021, allows the panel to submit reports to the UN about North Korea’s compliance with international sanctions and oversee UNSC sanctions actions.
The European Union should “move quickly” to form its sanctions regime against human rights abuses amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, members of the European Parliament said in a March 27 letter to European Commission Vice President Josep Borrell. The members said the EU “cannot forget” global human rights abuses, and stressed the importance of including the name “Magnitsky” in the sanctions legislation, similar to the U.S. and Canada. The EU began working on a human rights sanctions regime in December (see 1912100046).
The Trump administration should issue “broad licenses” to medical companies and create dedicated channels for industry to export medical goods to Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic, former Vice President Joe Biden said April 2. Although the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control already has broad general licenses that allow exemptions for humanitarian exports, Biden said they are not effective. “In practice, most governments and organizations are too concerned about running afoul of U.S. sanctions to offer assistance,” Biden said. “As a result, our sanctions are limiting Iran’s access to medical supplies and needed equipment.”
The U.S. is renewing the authority to sanction foreign “malicious cyber-enabled activities,” the White House said March 30. The sanctions, which were renewed for one year beyond April 1, 2020, authorize the U.S. to block assets of people and entities involved in certain cyber attacks under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The U.S. renewed several sanctions waivers (see 1905030044) to allow European, Chinese and Russian companies to continue working on Iranian nuclear facilities, the State Department said in a March 30 notice. The announcement will allow work to continue at Arak heavy-water research reactor, the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the Tehran Research Reactor and “other nuclear initiatives” despite U.S. sanctions, according to a March 30 Reuters report. The State Department renewed the waivers for 60 days.
Rosneft, the U.S.-sanctioned Russian energy company, has stopped operating in Venezuela and sold “all of its interest” in Venezuelan businesses, the company said March 28. Rosneft said it will no longer participate in “joint ventures” with Venezuelan entities “as well as oil-field services companies, commercial and trading operations.” The company’s announcement came weeks after the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Rosneft subsidiaries for operating in Venezuela (see 2002180033 and 2003120033). Rosneft has criticized U.S. sanctions, calling them illegal and saying in February it was seeking “legal protection” (see 2002210022).
The European Union renewed sanctions against Libya, the EU said in a March 30 notice. The sanctions were extended for six months.
The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade updated its guidance on trade sanctions on Somalia, according to a March 25 notice. The guidance was updated to include “components for improvised explosive devices,” the DIT said. The guidance will apply until Dec. 31, 2020.