The U.K. added seven people to its Iran human rights sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said. OFSI added Yahya Ala'oddini, Jamal Babamoradi, Ahmad Karimi, Ali Asghar Nourouzi and Seyyed Aminollah Emami Tabatabai, all of whom are directors of the board of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cooperative Foundation; Alireza Heydarnia, commander of the IRGC for the Alborz province; and Ahmed Zulqadr, IRGC commander.
The EU added eight people and one entity to its Iran sanctions regime, the European Council announced. The individuals are members of the judiciary responsible for issuing death sentences in "unfair trials and for the torturing of convicts," conservative clerics, a member of the Iranian Parliament, spokespeople for the Parliament's cultural commission and the Headquarters for Enjoining Right and Forbidding Evil, and an official with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. The listed entity is the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution. The sanctions on Iran now cover 204 people and 34 entities.
The U.K. Supreme Court ruled Ukraine can defend a $3 billion Eurobond lawsuit on the grounds it was forced to take on the debt in 2013 due to threats from Russia. The Law Debenture Trust Corp., which is incorporated in England and Wales, sued on Russia's behalf. Ukraine said it need not pay the loan because it was procured by duress stemming from illegal pressure and threats, including sanctions.
The U.K. on March 16 updated its guidance relating to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation's enforcement and monetary penalties for financial sanctions breaches to include a new section on ownership and control, according to the EU Sanctions blog. The new section states that where OFSI finds a sanctions breach, and an "incorrect assessment of ownership and control of an entity is relevant to the commission of the breach, OFSI will consider the degree and quality of research and due diligence conducted on the ownership and control of that entity," the blog post said.
A group of European countries not in the EU aligned with a European Council decision to extend until March 6, 2024, restrictions related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway also extended the restriction, the council said March 15.
The U.K.'s High Court of Justice on March 14 rejected a challenge from Belarus technology company LLC Synesis to its sanctions listing. Justice Robert Jay held that the U.K.'s standard for a listing -- not a finding of fact but "reasonable grounds to suspect" -- is a well-established test under the law. Decision-makers must consider the information "as a whole" and it "cannot be disaggregated or salami-sliced," Jay said. Synesis was listed for supplying the Belarus state with video surveillance and monitoring systems that could be used to suppress protesters.
A group of European countries not in the EU aligned with two recent European Council sanctions decisions. North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland and Liechtenstein also imposed the EU's changes on its terrorism sanctions list, the council said. North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway imposed the EU decision amending entries related to Belarus' support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The European Parliamentary Research Service released a briefing covering a timeline of EU sanctions on Russia, including an analysis of the sanctions, their effectiveness and their economic impact.
The European Council extended until Sept. 15 sanctions on people and entities responsible for undermining the sovereignty of Ukraine. The sanctions apply to 1,473 people and 205 entities.
Arms shipments to Europe have “risen sharply” due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in a March 13 report. Many of the exports have come from the U.S., the report said, which accounted for 40% of global arms exports from 2018 to 2022. The report also highlighted a steep decline in Russian arms shipments, mostly due to Western sanctions, although Moscow increased its arms exports to China by 39% and to Egypt by 44% from 2018 to 2022. Russian arms exports to India during that same time period fell by 37%.