The Faroe Islands implemented a Russia sanctions framework May 17 after its parliament authorized the government May 6 to implement sanctions on Russia and Belarus in response to their invasion of Ukraine. The Faroe Islands' sanctions will largely follow those of the EU and other nations that have partnered with the EU in imposing the restrictions, the notice said, according to an unofficial translation. However, the legislation don't impose any export bans on fish products or measures that may harm fisheries agreements with other nations. Also, port closures in the Faroe Islands don't apply to Russian fishing vessels.
The U.K. amended four entries under its Russia sanctions regime. In a May 20 notice, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation updated the entries for Olga Petrovna Gryaznova, Yuri Nikolayevich Shamalov, Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Ocheretnaya and Marina Vladimirovna Magdalina, still subjecting them to an asset freeze. The updates corrected details on the sanctions listings such as the spellings of names and dates of birth.
Russia announced new sanctions against U.S. citizens, including two Treasury Department officials and two former Bureau of Industry and Security officials, according to an unofficial translation of a May 21 notice. Russia designated Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, who has overseen some of the agency’s sanctions work, and Andrea Gacki, the director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is alerting users of its website and sanctions list data files of upcoming technical changes. The agency is beginning its annual renewal of the public certificate for its website, including its sanctions list downloads, and said its existing certificate will be replaced May 26 beginning at 9 p.m. The process will take about three to six hours for the replacement to be widely distributed, OFAC said in a May 23 notice. Users may need to update their configuration to trust the renewed certificate in order to prevent a loss of functionality.
The departments of state, the treasury, commerce and labor issued an advisory concerning U.S. Businesses in Sudan, to highlight the growing risks to American interests conducting business in the country, especially with Sudanese state-owned enterprises. Recent actions undertaken by the Sudanese government and security forces could adversely impact U.S. businesses and their operations in the country and the region, according to the advisory.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on May 20 completed an interagency review of a final rule related to its new export controls over certain cybersecurity items (see 2110200036 and 2201110025). BIS said earlier this year it was planning to make minor revisions to the rule to address some public comments (see 2202100026). The agency sent the rule for interagency review March 8 (see 2203090013).
The Bureau of Industry and Security's upcoming shift in its administrative enforcement policies could signal a more aggressive posture toward cracking down on illegal exports and may change how companies voluntarily disclose violations, a former BIS agent said. But some lawyers say the policies could represent a minor shift, and it may be too early to tell how they will affect compliance decisions.
The U.K.'s new Strategic Export Licensing Criteria took effect May 19, the Department for International Trade's Export Control Joint Unit said. The updates include the intent to allow the U.K.'s military end-use controls to be applied to a wider array of scenarios and the addition of China to the list of those destinations subject to an arms embargo. Hong Kong and Macau are included in the arms embargo.
Technology executive Obaidullah Syed, of Northbrook, Illinois, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for illegally exporting computer equipment to a nuclear research agency in Pakistan, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced May 18. Syed pleaded guilty in 2021 to conspiring to ship the goods without a license and to submit false export information. Before sentencing, Syed forfeited $247,000 of cash derived from the illegal sales.
The Bureau of Industry and Security last week suspended the export privileges of another Russian airline and identified a new plane likely violating U.S. export controls. The agency issued a 180-day temporary denial order for Rossiya Airlines, which blocks Rossiya’s ability to participate in transactions subject to the Export Administration Regulations. The U.K. also sanctioned the airline last week (see 2205190011).