On December 15, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 14059, “Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade” (“EO 14059”) aimed at addressing the trafficking of illicit drugs, including the illicit production, global sale and widespread distribution of drugs, in the United States. A press release issued by the Treasury Department explained that the additional authority under EO 14059 builds on the Treasury’s previous sanctions authorities, i.e., in Executive Order 12978…
On November 10, 2021, the US Departments of State, Treasury, and Commerce issued a joint advisory (the “Advisory”) cautioning US companies operating in or considering operations in Cambodia to be conscious of dealings with entities and in sectors potentially involved in human rights abuses, criminal activities, and corrupt business practices. We describe the Advisory in additional detail below. On the same day the Advisory was issued, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”)…
On September 17, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14046, “Imposing Sanctions on Certain Persons With Respect to the Humanitarian and Human Rights Crisis in Ethiopia” (“EO 14046”) aimed at addressing the widespread humanitarian conflict in northern Ethiopia. Both the White House and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken also released statements found here and here, calling for ceasefire negotiations to begin to find a political solution to the ongoing conflict in the region and…
On July 1, 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) announced that the temporary final rule that placed export restrictions on certain medical supplies and personal protection equipment products (“PPE Products”) has expired. There are now no current export restrictions on these items. The temporary final rule was first published in April 2020 to allocate scarce medical supplies and PPE products for domestic use in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Exemptions from export restrictions were published…