The United Nations Security Council amended one sanctions entry related to the Central African Republic, a Feb. 22 notice said. The change updates and revises identifying information for Bi Sidi Souleman, who was sanctioned last year (see 2008060019) for leading Retour, Reclamation, Rehabilitation, a militia group involved in warfare and illegal arms trafficking.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two people involved in Myanmar’s military coup carried out earlier this month, OFAC said Feb. 22. The designations target Moe Myint Tun and Maung Maung Kyaw, who the State Department said are members of Myanmar's State Administrative Council. The move follows previous U.S. sanctions imposed on Myanmar this month, along with increased export restrictions (see 2102110020).
The United Nations Security Council removed sanctions from two people after receiving delisting requests, it said in a Feb. 19 news release. The UNSC delisted Said ben Abdelhakim Ben Omar al-Cherif and Emrah Erdogan from its ISIL (Da’esh) and al‑Qaida Sanctions List. They are no longer subject to an asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control updated two sanctions entries for a Russian entity and a vessel involved in the construction of the Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 (see 2101190018), according to a Feb. 22 notice. The agency added identifying information for the entries and other sanctions information. OFAC didn’t comment on the update.
An American animal pharmaceutical company may have violated U.S. sanctions after acquiring a company that illegally sold goods to Iran, Zoetis disclosed in a Feb. 16 Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Zoetis said it acquired Platinum Performance in August 2019 and soon discovered that Platinum had sold food, medicine or “devices” to people or entities with ties to Iran, adding that the sales were not approved by a Treasury Department general license. Zoetis submitted an initial voluntary disclosure to the Office of Foreign Assets Control in February 2020 while it conducted an internal investigation, and in December 2020 submitted a final disclosure to both OFAC and the Justice Department. The agencies have said they don't comment on ongoing investigations.
A Treasury Department spokesperson declined to say whether a decrease in sanctions settlements from 2019 to 2020 was due to issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, saying sanctions investigations are completed on a “variety of timelines.” The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control “takes its enforcement activities very seriously, and treats every matter with the care and due diligence that it deserves,” the spokesperson said in a Feb. 17 email. “These cases don’t always follow a set schedule, and we finalize cases when they’re ready and when we have all the facts and documentation necessary to draw the appropriate conclusion and finding.” The agency in 2019 settled 26 cases worth nearly $1.3 billion, compared with 16 cases totaling $23 million in 2020 (see 2102120061).
The United Nations special rapporteur for human rights called on the U.S., the European Union and other countries to lift their unilateral sanctions against Venezuela, saying the measures are disproportionately affecting innocent civilians, nongovernmental organizations and third-country companies. U.S. sanctions are having an especially “severe” impact, the official, Alena Douhan, said Feb. 12. The restrictions are impeding the flow of humanitarian aid as well as “necessary machinery” and essential goods such as electricity, water, fuel and food. “The devastating effect of sanctions imposed is multiplied by extra-territoriality and over-compliance adversely affecting” Venezuela, Douhan said, adding that she plans to issue a comprehensive report on the sanctions in September.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control deleted several designations, revoked five general licenses and removed three frequently asked questions from its website to reflect the State Department’s decision last week to revoke the terrorist designation of Ansarallah (see 2102100016). The changes, which took effect Feb. 16, rescinded several general licenses that authorized humanitarian-related trade and other transactions with Yemen and Ansarallah, the Iran-backed Houthi movement (see 2101250043 and 2101190016). OFAC clarified that U.S. people and companies no longer require OFAC authorization “to engage in transactions or activities with Ansarallah, provided such activities do not involve blocked persons or otherwise prohibited activities.”
Panama recently removed five tankers from its flag registry for “sanctions-evading practices,” Lloyd’s List reported Feb. 12. One tanker participated in illegal ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian crude oil, the report said, adding that an additional 17 tankers are being investigated for failing to transmit vessel-tracking signals. The U.S. and the United Kingdom both have issued guidance warning the maritime industry of illegal shipping practices involving trade with Iran, North Korea and other sanctioned countries, which may conduct illegal ship transfers and manipulate their vessels’ automatic identification systems (see 2007290019 and 2005140039).
In one of its first major decisions to reverse Trump administration-imposed sanctions, the State Department will revoke its terrorism designation of Ansarallah Feb. 16. The move, which reverses the designation of the Yemen-based group also known as Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, came after the State Department said it was reviewing the humanitarian implications of the designations. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control in January issued several general licenses and frequently asked questions to clarify that the sanctions wouldn't impact humanitarian exports to Yemen, including those sent by international organizations (see 2101190016 and 2101250043), but the State Department said the designation could still hamper some aid delivery.