The U.S. extended by one year, until Oct. 21, 2021, a national emergency authorizing sanctions against narcotic traffickers “centered” in Colombia, the White House said Oct. 19. The White House said the traffickers “continue to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy” of the U.S.
The United Kingdom Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation designated seven people under its Syrian sanctions regime, it said Oct. 16. The move follows the European Union's designation of the same seven Syrian government officials (see 2010160020).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control updated 490 entries on its Specially Designated Nationals List to reflect April changes made to the North Korea Sanctions Regulations (see 2004090026), OFAC said in an Oct. 19 notice. OFAC updated the entries to show they may be subject to a prohibition on “persons that are owned or controlled by a U.S. financial institution and established or maintained outside” the U.S.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Oct. 19 sanctioned three people and seven entities for counter-terrorism and Iran-related reasons. The first set of designations target Australia-based al-Qaida-associated facilitator Ahmed Luqman Talib and his company, Talib and Sons, for supporting al-Qaida.
The United Kingdom Office of Financial Sanction Implementation added one person to its Libya sanctions regime, an Oct. 15 notice said. The designation targets Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin, a Russian businessman with close links to the Wagner Group, for violating the United Nations arms embargo against Libya. The European Union sanctioned Prigozhin last week (see 2010150010).
The European Union sanctioned seven Syrian government officials for the “violent repression” of the Syrian population, the European Council said in an Oct. 16 news release. The designations target Syria’s Trade Minister Talal Al-Barazi, Culture Minister Loubana Mouchaweh, Education Minister Darem Taba’a, Justice Minister Ahmad Sayyed, Water Resource Minister Tammam Ra’ad, Finance Minister Kinan Yaghi and Transport Minister Zuhair Khazim. The EU’s Syria sanctions include a ban on oil trade, investment restrictions, asset freezes and export restrictions on certain equipment and technology to Syria.
The United Kingdom Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued its quarterly report to Parliament on its operation of the U.K. asset freezing regime, an Oct. 14 notice said. The report contains statistics and information on U.K. sanctions January through March 2020.
The United Kingdom Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended one entry under its chemical weapons sanctions and two under its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions, Oct. 14 notices said. One amended entry is for Said Said, a “significant figure” in Syria’s chemical weapons programs. The U.K. also amended entries for Jamal Hussein Hassan Zeiniye, leader of the Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, and Sa'd Bin Sa'd Muhammad Shariyan Al-Ka’Bi under its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions.
Switzerland joined the U.S., the United Kingdom, the European Union and others (see 2010050010 and 2009300011) in imposing sanctions against Belarus for the country’s rigged presidential election, the EU Sanctions blog said in a post Oct. 14. Switzerland sanctioned the same 40 officials the EU designated earlier this month. The officials will be subject to asset freezes and travel bans.
The European Union and the United Kingdom sanctioned six Russian Federation officials and one entity for the poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, they said in Oct. 15 news releases. The sanctions target Andrei Veniaminovich Yarin, Sergei Vladilenovich Kiriyenko, Sergei Ivanovich Menyailo, Aleksandr Vasilievich Bortnikov, Pavel Anatolievich Popov and Aleksei Yurievich Krivoruchko. The sanctions also target Russia’s State Scientific Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology.