Key sanctions developments this month include: the EU and UK indicating that further economic sanctions will be imposed on Belarus, more stringent sanctions being applied to Myanmar in the wake of the military coup d’état and increasing chances of a rapprochement between the US and Iran.
- The forced landing in Minsk of a Ryanair aircraft carrying a prominent Belarussian opposition activist, Roman Protasevich, co-ordinated by Belarussian authorities, has drawn condemnation from Western politicians. Protasevich played a crucial role in mobilising opposition protests in the wake of the disputed August 2020 Presidential Election. On 25th May EU leaders agreed to impose further sanctions on the country, although no further details on the exact measures have been announced to date. Press reporting indicates that the one of the country’s largest exports, potash, may become subject to EU trade restrictions.
- In a climbdown from its previous position, the US government has waived imposing sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, a German entity overseeing the construction of the controversial pipeline between Russia and Germany, as well as the company’s CEO, Matthias Warnig. Despite the State Department finding that US sanctions programmes had been breached, no penalties were imposed due to concerns for the US-German relationship. To date, four Russian entities and 13 vessels are sanctioned under the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act (“PEESA”), which targets the project.
- In a coordinated move, the UK, US and Canada have tightened their sanctions regime against Myanmar. The US has sanctioned the State Administrative Council (“SAC”) and 13 officials, while the UK has sanctioned state-owned entity Myanmar Gems Enterprise, which was designated under US measures in the previous month. Since February 2021, when the country’s military overthrew the democratically elected government, sanctions on the country have been gradually expanded.
- The US continues to impose sanctions on Chinese individuals for human rights violations, recently sanctioning Chinese Communist Party official Hu Yui for persecution of minorities including Uyghur Muslims and worshippers of other faiths in China. A long-planned trade agreement between the EU and China has been derailed due to rising tensions between the two. The EU withdrew from the deal after China sanctioned EU parliamentarians who have decried human rights violations in the country. The Chinese sanctions were tit-for-tat measures imposed after the EU sanctioned officials involved in implementing controversial Chinese policies in Xinjiang.
- Informal talks in Vienna between the US and Iran are continuing regarding a rollback of US sanctions. In the latest move, the US has offered to withdraw its sanctions on Iran’s oil industry, although this is contingent on Iran returning to commitments to reduce its refinement of nuclear material under the Obama-era JCPOA agreement.
- Elsewhere, the US has sanctioned Libyan militia Al Khaniyat as well as the organisation’s senior leadership, a senior commander of the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Separately, the US has added four Turkish citizens to its sanctions lists for providing financial support to ISIS.
