The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementations introduced a sanctions regime on Belarus for human rights violations and to “encourage” the government to “respect democratic principles and institutions,” the OFSI said in a Jan. 15 notice. The U.K. also released an explanatory memorandum about the sanctions and guidance, and will eventually release a list of people sanctioned under the regulations. The measures include assets freezes, trade prohibitions and criminal penalties for violations of the sanctions, including fines and prison sentences. License exceptions are available for “certain circumstances,” including “acts done for the purpose of national security,” “prior obligations,” “extraordinary situations” and more.
The State Department sanctioned Moldovan official and oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc for corruption, the State Department said Jan. 13. The agency also sanctioned Plahotniuc’s family members, including his wife, Oxana Childescu, son, Timofei Plahotniuc, and his minor child.
The United Kingdom's Export Control Joint Unit on Jan. 14 updated a series of open general export licenses, including exports for dual-use goods, military goods, chemicals, low-value shipments, information and security items, and more. The updates clarify who is eligible to use the licenses.
In the Jan. 14 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
The United Kingdom, France and Germany plan to trigger the dispute settlement mechanism of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, potentially leading to European snapback sanctions against Iran. In a Jan. 14 statement, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the three countries still want to preserve the agreement, but “we could no longer leave the growing Iranian violations of the nuclear agreement unanswered,” Maas said, according to an unofficial translation. “We will tackle this together with all partners in the agreement. We call on Iran to participate constructively in the negotiation process that is now beginning.”
New rules for the transfer of export controls over firearms and ammunition from the State Department to the Commerce Department are expected this week, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. In a newsletter emailed Jan. 13, the NSSF said the rules, which will transfer controls over firearms, guns, ammunition and other defense items from the U.S. Munitions List to the Commerce Control List, will take effect 45 days after they are published this week.
The European Council renewed sanctions for its terrorist list against people, groups and entities subject to asset freezes due to terrorism involvement, the council said in a Jan. 13 press release. The list is reviewed every six months and updated with “any new facts and developments,” the council said.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two North Korean entities involved in illegal exploitation of North Korea labor to generate money overseas, Treasury said in a Jan. 14 press release. Treasury said the two North Korean companies -- North Korea-based Namgang Trading Corporation (NTC) and China-based Beijing Sukbakso -- evade United Nations Security Council resolutions by sending North Korean laborers abroad. All UN member states were required to expel North Korean laborers in December, the press release said. NTC “maintained” laborers in “multiple” countries, including Russia, Nigeria and throughout the Middle East. Sukbakso, a lodging facility, handles portions of the travel and logistics for NTC personnel working overseas, Treasury said.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Jan. 6-10 in case you missed them.
Final FIRRMA Regulations Address Commenter Concerns, Omit Clearer Definition for Critical Technology
The Treasury Department’s final regulations for the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act made several changes to the proposed rules based on public comments and provided more clarity about FIRRMA’s “excepted foreign states” concept. But Treasury did not provide a more specific definition for “critical technologies” despite several requests from industry.