On April 15, 2024, Canada announced new sanctions regulations under the Special Economic Measures Act in response to gross and systematic violations of human rights. The Special Economic Measures (Sudan) Regulations (the “Regulations”) designate six individuals and entities and entered into force on April 12, 2024. The Regulations were announced on the one-year mark of the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forced (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, who are fighting…
On April 15, 2024, Canada announced further amendments to the Special Economic Measures (Belarus) Regulations (the “Regulations”). These amendments list an additional 21 individuals under Schedule 1 of the Regulations in response to ongoing human rights violations in Belarus. The amendments took effect on April 12, 2024. The announcement follows a visit by the exiled Belarusian opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, to Ottawa. The individuals targeted are current and former senior government officials involved in human rights abuses…
Last week, the G7 foreign ministers met on the island of Capri in Italy, which is currently serving in the role of the G7 Presidency. As one of the only law firms with offices and sanctions experts in every G7 country, we watched the meeting with great interest to see how the G7 will be approaching sanctions in the near future. We wanted to flag two quick takeaways from the statements coming out of the…
On March 8, 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs announced further amendments to the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations (the “Regulations”). These amendments list an additional two individuals in Schedule 1 of the Regulations. The announcement was released on International Women’s Day, signalling Canada’s focus on targeting human rights violations of women and girls. The sanctioned individuals are Masoud Dorosti, the Chief Executive of the Tehran metro system, and Zohreh Elahian, a senior parliamentarian in…