The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 11 people and 10 entities in Mexico related to allegations of corruption, money laundering, drug trafficking and killings, Treasury said in a May 17 notice. The sanctions include the designation of a Mexican magistrate judge and former Mexican governor, Isidro Avelar Gutierrez, under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act.
The European Union extended sanctions against Syria for one year, until June 1, 2020, the EU Council said in a May 17 notice. The sanctions include an oil embargo, restrictions on “certain investments," a freeze on Syrian central bank assets "held in the EU" and export restrictions on "equipment and technology" that could be used for “internal repression” and the “monitoring or interception” of internet or phone communications, the notice said. The EU Council also removed sanctions on five deceased people and two entities, one because it “ceased to exist” and another because “there were no longer grounds to keep it under restrictive measures,” the notice said. The move came about a week after the Trump administration announced it is extending U.S. sanctions against Syria (see 1905100018).
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned five people and one entity under the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act for Russia-related human rights violations, Treasury said in a May 16 notice. The sanctioned people include Russian government investigators and members of the Chechen Republic’s Terek Special Rapid Response Team.
The United Nations Security Council sanctioned one entity and removed five other entities from its sanctions lists, the U.N. said May 14. The U.N. added the “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant -- Khorasan” to its ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions list while removing Nessim ben Mohamed al-Cherif ben Mohamed Saleh al-Saadi from the same list, according to press releases. The U.N. also removed sanctions on four separate entities: the Directorate General of Baghdad Electricity Distribution and the Iraq-based Idrisi Centre for Engineering Consultancy (ICEC), National Centre for Engineering and Architectural Consultancy and State Enterprise for Fertilizer Industries.
Ukraine announced a series of economic sanctions against Russia that increased duty rates on a variety of imported goods and implemented an embargo on Russian cement and plywood, according to an unofficial translation of May 15 press releases from the Ukraine government.
The Trump administration extended for one year beyond May 16 the existing national emergency with respect to threats to U.S. national security posed by Yemen, the White House said in a May 13 press release, continuing a 2012 executive order that sanctioned Yemen political and military leaders that “threaten the peace, security, or stability” of that country. In the press release, the White House said certain former government of Yemen officials “continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. foreign policy and national security.
The Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued a guidance document and an advisory on regulations and illegal activity in convertible virtual currency fields, FinCEN said in a May 9 press release. The advisory aims to help companies identify and report “suspicious activity” related to the exploitation of CVCs for money laundering and sanctions evasions, FinCEN said, including recognizing “red flags.” In the advisory, FinCEN urges companies to screen their customers and business partners against the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals List and take “appropriate steps” to stop people in sanctioned countries from “trading in digital currency.” Businesses dealing in virtual currencies should have procedures in place to block IP addresses associated with sanctioned entities, disable accounts of holders from sanctioned countries, “install a dedicated Compliance Officer” to oversee compliance with all OFAC sanctions programs and ensure OFAC compliance training for all pertinent personnel, the advisory said.
The European Union said it would “reject any ultimatums” imposed by Iran after the country announced May 8 it is suspending some of its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, effective immediately (see 1905080058). In a May 9 statement, the EU said it has “great concern” over Iran’s demands and “strongly” urged it to “refrain from any escalatory steps,” but also said it disapproves of U.S.-imposed sanctions on Iran following U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA.
The Trump administration is extending by one year the national emergency that had been declared 15 years ago due to the actions of the government in Syria, according to a May 8 press release from the White House. Sanctions will continue against certain Syrian people as will the ban of certain exports and re-exports to Syria. The notice said "the actions of the Government of Syria in supporting terrorism, maintaining its then-existing occupation of Lebanon, pursuing weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, and undermining United States and international efforts with respect to the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq" are a threat to U.S. national security. The emergency declaration had been in place since a 2004 executive order, and was set to expire May 11, according to the press release. "The United States will consider changes in the composition, policies, and actions of the Government of Syria in determining whether to continue or terminate this national emergency in the future,” Trump said in a statement.
The Trump administration is extending the national emergency in response to "the situation in and in relation to the Central African Republic, which has been marked by a breakdown of law and order, intersectarian tension, widespread violence and atrocities," for one year beyond the May 12 expiration date, the White House said in a May 8 press release. U.S.-imposed sanctions on the country will remain in place.