On December 16, 2021, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) designated eight Chinese tech companies to the Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies (“NS-CMIC”) list pursuant to Executive Order 13959, as amended by Executive Order 14032, for their alleged involvement in supporting surveillance of ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang, China. On the next day, the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) also added 37 new parties to the…
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 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 September 21, 2021, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued an updated ransomware advisory (“Updated Advisory”) highlighting the sanctions risks associated with ransomware payments in connection with malicious cyber-enabled activities and the proactive steps companies can take to mitigate such risks, including actions that OFAC would consider to be “mitigating factors” in any related enforcement action. OFAC concurrently designated SUEX OTC, S.R.O. (“SUEX”) as a Specially Designated National (“SDN”), the first…