On 29 June 2024, the EU adopted a new Belarus sanctions package by amending Council Regulation (EU) 765/2006 (the “EU Belarus Sanctions“), effective from 1 July 2024. The amending regulation can be found here. The new package increases the alignment of the EU Belarus Sanctions with the EU’s sanctions against Russia (including those contained in Regulation (EU) 833/2014 (the “EU Russia Sanctions“), as recently updated), in order to address the risk of circumvention. The new…
On June 5, 2024, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) amended the Syrian Sanctions Regulations (“SSR”), 31 C.F.R. Part 542 and issued and amended frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) related to the SSR. According to a new OFAC FAQ, these changes are aimed, in part, at facilitating humanitarian assistance and internet-based communication services to Syrian civilians. The SSR has been revised as follows: Incorporation into the SSR of Various Statutes…
On May 16, 2024, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) published a final rule amending the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R Part 560 (“ITSR”), to incorporate OFAC General License (“GL”) D-2 and the preexisting list of items deemed incident to communications that are authorized for export or reexport to Iran under GL D-2, and to concurrently update such list. OFAC also published one new and 26 revised…
On Monday 27 May 2024, the EU established a new sanctions framework for the implementation of restrictive measures against those responsible for serious human rights violations or abuses, for the accelerating and systematic repression of civil society and democratic opposition, and for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Russia. As set out in Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/1484 and Council Regulation (EU) 2024/1485 (“Russia Human Rights Regulation”). In its press release (here), the European…