The Treasury Department imposed new sanctions designating individuals and entities for undermining democratic freedoms, violating human rights, and enabling corruption in Belarus. The sanctions were coordinated with allies and partners in the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada.
The new sanctions target 20 individuals and 12 entities for their roles in (i) perpetrating human rights violations against Belarussian activists, (ii) contributing to the migrant crisis on Belarus' border with the European Union, and (iii) otherwise supporting or being part of the regime of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. In addition, OFAC issued Directive 1 under Executive Order 14038 to prohibit "transactions in, provision of financing for, or other dealings by U.S. persons or within the United States in new debt with a maturity of greater than 90 days issued on or after December 2, 2021 by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus or the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus." OFAC also published nine new FAQs (940, 941, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 947, and 948) providing guidance on the scope and application of Directive 1. In a press release announcing the sanctions, Treasury noted that the EU, the UK and other allies and partners have imposed similar restrictions on Belarussian sovereign debt since June 2021.
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