The Office of Foreign Assets Control has substantially increased its sanctions advisory output in recent years, a trend likely to continue, according to Castellum, a technology company that operates an automated compliance screening service. OFAC issued 10 sanctions advisories in the past two years, including four this year, compared with nine advisories in the previous eight years, the company said Nov. 15. “This emphasis on advisories, across both democratic and republican administrations, shows that this public-facing tool is here to stay and will be used more frequently,” Castellum said. The company also said the increased number of sanctions could allow OFAC to justify larger penalties for sanctions violations, “because those that are subject to enforcement actions will have had significant public warning.” OFAC most recently issued a guidance to help the virtual currency industry navigate U.S. sanctions (see 2110150069).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned a senior Houthi military officer for contributing to the “instability and increasing the already extraordinary suffering of the Yemeni people,” the agency said Nov. 18. The designation targets Saleh Mesfer Alshaer, commander of the Houthi-controlled military logistics support organization. OFAC said Alshaer is the “judicial custodian” of assets seized from Houthi opponents and oversees the group’s seizure of more than $100 million worth of Yemeni property.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned six Iranians and one Iranian entity for trying to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election. OFAC said they “sought to sow discord and undermine voters’ faith in the U.S. electoral process” through misinformation on social media, “threatening emails” and a video implying that “individuals could cast fraudulent ballots.” The designations targeted the Iranian cyber company Emennet Pasargad, its manager Mohammad Bagher Shirinkar and others affiliated with the company: Seyyed Mohammad Hosein Musa Kazemi, Sajjad Kashian, Mostafa Sarmadi, Seyyed Mehdi Hashemi Toghroljerdi and Hosein Akbari Nodeh. OFAC said it previously designated Shirinkar for supporting the Iranian military and previously sanctioned Emennet Pasargad under its former name: Net Peygard Samavat Co.

President Joe Biden terminated the national emergency declared in a 2015 executive order that authorized certain sanctions against Burundi, the White House said Nov. 18. The “stability” of Burundi “has been significantly altered by events of the past year, including the transfer of power following elections in 2020, significantly decreased violence” and government reforms, the White House said. As a result, the Office of Foreign Assets Control removed a range of Burundi-related entries from its Specially Designationed Nationals List.

President Joe Biden extended a national emergency that authorizes certain sanctions against Nicaragua, the White House said Nov. 16. The Nicaraguan government has used violence to stop protests and continues to undermine the country’s democratic institutions, the White House said. The emergency was extended for one year beyond Nov. 27.

Although Japan was considering creating a human rights sanctions regime, it has abandoned the effort for the “time being,” according to a Nov. 16 report from The Mainichi, a Japanese newspaper. The country is hoping to “keep its diplomatic options open” with China, the report said, which would likely require sanctions under the legislation for China's abuses against religious minorities in the Xinjiang region. Japan will consider using existing legislation, including its foreign exchange and foreign trade law, to impose penalties and asset freezes for human rights violations, the report said.

The U.S. and the United Kingdom announced new sanctions against Nicaragua Nov. 15 for human rights violations or actions that have undermined democracy in the country. The U.S. designated nine government officials and one government entity, while the U.K. sanctioned eight government officials.

The U.S. and the European Union are preparing to impose more sanctions against the Alexander Lukashenko regime in Belarus for human rights violations, according to multiple reports. The U.S. sanctions are expected to be closely coordinated with the EU, CNN reported Nov. 10. The EU sanctions could come as soon as this week and may target around 30 people and entities, including the Belarusian airline Belavia, Reuters reported Nov. 10. The White House didn’t comment. The U.S. in August expanded its sanctions authority against Belarus and issued a host of new designations targeting the country’s government for last year’s illegitimate presidential elections (see 2108090033).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Nov. 12 deleted 10 people and 33 entities from its Specially Designated Nationals List that were sanctioned under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. The sanctions were removed from entries located in Mexico, Colombia and Panama after they "demonstrated a change in behavior" or there was a change in " circumstances," an OFAC spokesperson said. The person added that most of the companies removed from the SDN List "are defunct or have been seized by foreign governments" and "are not independently linked to any individuals who remain on the SDN List."

President Joe Biden extended a national emergency that authorizes certain sanctions against Iran, the White House said. U.S. relations with Iran “have not yet normalized,” the White House said Nov. 9, and the country’s government still poses a threat to U.S. national security. The emergency was extended for one year beyond Nov. 14.