The EU added nine people and three entities to its global human rights sanctions regime for their roles in carrying out sexual and gender-based violence, the European Council announced March 7. The new listings include acting Taliban officials, Moscow police officers, members of the Russian armed forces, South Sudanese militia commanders, a Myanmar official and military office, an Iranian prison and the Syrian Republican Guard.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on an information collection relating to technology letters of explanation. The letters provide the agency with a description of a technology in a license application, allowing BIS technical staff to "evaluate the impact of licensing the export on United States national security and foreign policy." It also requires the “consignee” to certify that an export involving controlled technical data will not be released to blocked people or entities. Comments are due May 8.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will hold a webinar March 21 on the Defense Export Control and Compliance System (DECCS). It will include a refresher on using DECCS, information on commodity jurisdictions, advisory opinions, registration and licensing applications and “an overview of new updates” for the application. The webinar, hosted with the Census Bureau, will also cover “important process updates to Electronic Export Information (EEI) filings through the Automated Export System (AES) when citing United States Munitions List (USML) Category XXI.”
A Republican-backed bill introduced in the House this month could provide for greater “congressional oversight of certain sanctions imposed” against Russia. Rep. Daniel Meuser, R-Pa., introduced the bill, which doesn't yet have publicly available text. It has four Republican co-sponsors.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., reintroduced a bill last week that he said would give the administration “explicit authority” to sanction any Chinese entity or person who knowingly supports Russia’s war in Ukraine. The bill, which has more than 10 Democratic co-sponsors, also would authorize certain sanctions against those who Russia evade U.S. sanctions. The sanctions in the Deter PRC Support to the Russian War Effort Act include financial designations, certain investment restrictions, procurement prohibitions and more. The bill also was introduced during the last Congress.
The Biden administration should impose Global Magnitsky sanctions against leading Chinese surveillance company Hikvision for its role in human rights violations against Uyghurs in China, Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Gregory Meeks, D.N.Y., said this week. The lawmakers, the top Republican and Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, asked President Joe Biden to tell the committee within 120 days whether Hikvision meets criteria for sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, pointing to the company’s “clear track record in enabling international recognized human rights violations in Xinjiang.”
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Although many of the U.S. sanctions against Russia have been in place for months, companies are still dealing with a range of compliance challenges, Crowell & Moring trade lawyers said this week, especially involving Russia-related service restrictions. They also said they don’t expect the pace of sanctions to slow anytime soon, especially as the U.S. ramps up enforcement efforts this year.
Danish multinational mineral wool product manufacturer Rockwool International confirmed a Global Investigations Review report that the Danish Business Authority is investigating the company for its Russia-related business activities. Rockwool said the agency had requested "general information, for example, regarding ownership structures as well as regarding potential sanctioned sales and sales involving the Russian military."
The EU General Court in a March 1 opinion granted "interim measures" allowing Russian national Nikita Mazepin, sanctioned in September, to enter the EU to "negotiate his recruitment" as a Formula 1 driver racing under a neutral flag. The opinion marks the first time the court suspended sanctions on a person pending the main hearing of the case, according to the European Sanctions blog.