The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned eight people for their roles in the illegitimate Belarusian presidential election this summer, OFAC said in an Oct. 2 press release. The designations target Belarus’ Minister of the Interior Yuriy Khadzymuratavich Kareau, Deputy Minister of the Interior Alyaksandr Pyatrovich Barsukou and commander and deputy commander of the Minister of the Interior’s Internal Troops Yuriy Henadzievich Nazaranka and Khazalbek Bakhtsibekavich Atabekau, respectively. OFAC also sanctioned Ivan Uladzimiravich Kubrakou and Dzmitriy Uladzimiravich Balaba, who lead organizations that detain peaceful protestors in Minsk, and Vadzim Dzmitrievich Ipatau and Alena Mikalaeuna Dmukhayla, senior election commission officials. The U.S. sanctions follow similar designations by the United Kingdom and Canada (see 2009300011).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control fined a New York travel services company nearly $5.9 million for violating U.S. sanctions against Cuba, OFAC said in an Oct. 1 notice. The company, Generali Global Assistance, Inc. (GGA), used a Canadian affiliate to evade U.S. sanctions, OFAC said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued guidance Oct. 1 on the sanctions risks of facilitating ransomware payments. The guidance urged companies to refrain from facilitating payments “on behalf of victims” of cyberattacks because they encourage future payment demands and may risk sanctions violations.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control amended its Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations and its Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, the agency said in a notice released Sept. 30. The final rule revises a note that describes how people designated under the WMD regulations for North Korea are identified in OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals List and amends the ITSR to “refine” a general license. The rule is effective on Oct. 1.
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 Office of Foreign Assets Control released regulations Sept. 30 to implement a June executive order (see 2006110028) authorizing sanctions against the International Criminal Court. OFAC released the regulations in a final rule effective Oct. 1 in “abbreviated form” to provide “immediate guidance to the public.” The agency said it plans to soon publish a more “comprehensive set of regulations,” which may include guidance on definitions, general licenses and information on licensing policy.
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The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Sept. 25 issued guidance on sanctions against Hong Kong officials and renewed a general license authorizing certain transactions with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (see 2007310028).
A California electronics company was fined about $475,000 after its former Finnish subsidiary illegally exported test measurement equipment to Iran, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said Sept. 24. After Keysight Technologies acquired Anite Finland Oy in 2015, Anite continued to illegally supply equipment to Iranian end-users, hiding the transactions from Keysight, OFAC said. In a settlement agreement, Keysight agreed to implement improved compliance procedures and an annual audit of its compliance program for the next five years.
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.