2021 Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act Annual Report, 18624-18630 [2023-06464]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 60 (Wednesday, March 29, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18624-18630]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-06464]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 12027]


2021 Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act Annual 
Report

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice contains the text of the report required by the 
Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, as submitted by the 
Secretary of State.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Self, Email: [email protected], 
Phone: (202) 412-3586.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 10, 2021,the Secretary of State 
approved the following report pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Human 
Rights Accountability Act (Pub. L. 114-328, Title XII, Subtitle F) 
(``the Act''), which is implemented and built upon by E.O. 13818 of 
December 20, 2017, ``Executive Order Blocking the Property of Persons 
Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption''(E.O. 13818). The 
text of the report follows:
    Pursuant to Section 1264 of the Act, and in accordance with E.O. 
13818, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of 
the Treasury, submits this report to detail the Administration's 
implementation of the Act in the 2021 reporting period.
    In 2021, the United States took significant action under the Global 
Magnitsky sanctions program (``Global Magnitsky''), designating 176 
foreign persons over the course of the year. As of December 10, 2021, 
the United States has designated a total of 415 foreign persons 
(individuals and entities) pursuant to E.O. 13818. This sanctions 
program, which targets those engaged in serious human rights abuse, 
corrupt actors, and their enablers, represents the best of the United 
States' values by taking impactful steps to promote respect for human 
rights and combat corruption around the world. Through the Act and E.O. 
13818, the United States has sought to disrupt and deter serious human 
rights abuse and corruption abroad; promote accountability for those 
who act with impunity; and protect and promote longstanding 
international norms alongside our partners and allies.
    As the President outlined in his Interim National Security Strategy 
(NSS), the United States will stand with our allies and partners to 
combat new threats aimed at our democracies. The Administration will 
take special aim at confronting corruption, which rots democracy from 
the inside, impedes development, and is increasingly weaponized by 
authoritarian states to undermine democratic institutions. The United 
States will defend and protect human rights; address discrimination, 
inequity, and marginalization in all its forms; and stand up for 
democracy, human rights, and human dignity. On all these issues, the 
United States will work to forge a common approach with likeminded 
countries. Through implementation of the Global Magnitsky sanctions 
program, the Administration is taking action to execute the President's 
vision as described in the Interim NSS.
    On June 3, 2021, the President issued a Memorandum on Establishing 
the Fight Against Corruption as a Core United States National Security 
Interest. This Memorandum states that corruption threatens United 
States national security, economic equity, global anti-poverty and 
development efforts, and democracy itself. It directs action to bolster 
the U.S. government to hold accountable corrupt individuals and their 
facilitators, including by, and where appropriate, identifying, 
freezing, and recovering stolen assets through sanctions or other 
authorities; to bolster the capacity of domestic and international 
institutions and multilateral bodies focused on establishing global 
anti-corruption norms; and work with international partners to 
counteract strategic corruption by foreign leaders, foreign state-owned 
or affiliated enterprises, and other foreign actors and their domestic 
collaborators. The Global Magnitsky program and cooperation with like-
minded international partners directly address each of these 
objectives.
    Actions taken in 2021 continue to demonstrate the reach, 
flexibility, and broad scope of Global Magnitsky. The United States 
responded to serious human rights abuse and corruption globally, 
deterring and disrupting some of the most egregious behavior by foreign 
actors. These actions targeted, among others, oligarchs engaged in 
public corruption in Bulgaria, corrupt politicians undermining the rule 
of law in Central America, and officials connected to serious human 
rights abuse against members of the Uyghur community in the People's 
Republic of China's Xinjiang province. These designations clearly 
demonstrate the Administration's resolve to leverage this important 
tool judiciously and to strategic effect.
    When considering economic sanctions under Global Magnitsky, the 
United States prioritizes actions that are expected to produce a 
tangible and significant impact on the sanctioned persons and their 
affiliates and prompt changes in behavior or disrupt the activities of 
malign actors. Persons sanctioned pursuant to this authority appear on 
the Office of Foreign Assets Control's (OFAC's) List of Specially 
Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List). As a result of 
these actions, all property and interests in property of the sanctioned 
persons that are in the United States or in the possession or control 
of U.S. persons, are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Unless 
authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or otherwise 
exempt, OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. 
persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any 
property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked 
persons. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or 
provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of 
any blocked person or the receipt of any contribution or provision of 
funds, goods or services from any such person. In 2021, the Secretary 
of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the 
Attorney General, imposed financial sanctions on the following persons 
176 persons and entities pursuant to E.O. 13818:
    1. Falih al-Fayyadh: Al-Fayyadh was designated on January 8, 2021, 
for being a foreign person who is a leader or official of an entity 
that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious human 
rights abuse, relating to the leader's or official's tenure. Al-Fayyadh 
is the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Committee (PMC) Chairman and former 
National Security Advisor. Al-Fayyadh was the head of the PMC when many 
of its subcomponents fired live ammunition at peaceful protestors in 
late 2019, resulting in the death of hundreds of Iraqis. Al-Fayyadh was 
part of a crisis cell comprised primarily of Popular Mobilization 
Forces (PMF) militia leaders formed in late 2019 to suppress the Iraqi 
protests with the support of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-
Qods Force, which was designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 25, 
2007.

[[Page 18625]]

    2. Cuban Ministry of Interior (MININT): MININT was designated on 
January 15, 2021, for being a foreign person who is responsible for or 
complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged in, serious 
human rights abuse. MININT is responsible for Cuba's internal security, 
to include controlling Cuba's police, internal security forces, and the 
country's prison system. Specialized units of MININT's state security 
branch are responsible for monitoring political activity, and Cuba's 
police support these security units by arresting persons of interest to 
MININT. In September 2019, Cuban dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer was held 
in a MININT-controlled prison in Cuba, where he reported being beaten, 
tortured, and held in isolation. Additionally, Ferrer received no 
medical attention while in prison. The Cuban Minister of the Interior, 
Lazaro Alberto [Aacute]lvarez Casas, was simultaneously designated for 
being a foreign person who is the leader or official of MININT, an 
entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious 
human rights abuse relating to his tenure. Casas served as the vice 
minister of MININT until November 25, 2020, when he was promoted to the 
position of Minister of the Interior.
    3. The Cuban regime has dispatched security forces to suppress 
peaceful, pro-democratic demonstrators during protests that began in 
Cuba in July 2021, deploying units from both MININT and the Cuban 
Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR). The additional 
individuals and entities designated in connection with the regime's 
suppression of the protests are:
     Brigada Especial Nacional Del Ministerio Del Interior 
(SNB): The SNB was designated on July 22, 2021, for being owned or 
controlled by, or for acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, 
directly or indirectly, MININT, which, as noted above, was previously 
designated by OFAC pursuant to the Global Magnitsky program for being a 
foreign person who is responsible for or complicit in, or having 
directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse. The SNB, 
also known as the Boinas Negras or Black Berets, is a special forces 
unit under MININT. During the July 2021 protests, the Cuban government 
deployed the SNB to suppress and attack protesters.
     Alvaro Lopez Miera: Lopez was designated on July 22, 2021, 
for being a foreign person who is the leader or official of MINFAR, an 
entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious 
human rights abuse, relating to his tenure. Lopez is the Cuban Minister 
of Defense and played an integral role in the repression of ongoing 
protests in Cuba.
     Policia Nacional Revolucionaria (PNR): The PNR was 
designated on July 30, 2021, for being owned or controlled by, or for 
acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or 
indirectly, MININT. PNR is a police unit under the Cuban MININT that 
was photographed confronting and arresting protestors in Havana, 
including the Movement of July 11 Mothers, a group founded to organize 
families of the imprisoned and disappeared. In Camag[uuml]ey, a 
Catholic priest was beaten and arrested by the PNR while he was 
defending young protesters; officers of the PNR also beat a group of 
peaceful demonstrators, including several minors. Additionally, there 
have been several recorded instances in which the PNR used clubs to 
violently break up peaceful protests across Cuba.
     Oscar Alejandro Callejas Valcarce: Callejas was designated 
on July 30, 2021, for acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, 
directly or indirectly, the PNR. Callejas is the Director of the 
Policia Nacional Revolucionaria (PNR).
     Eddy Manuel Sierra Arias: Sierra was designated on July 
30, 2021, for acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly 
or indirectly, the PNR. Sierra is the Deputy Director of the Policia 
Nacional Revolucionaria (PNR).
     Romarico Vidal Sotomayor Garcia: Sotomayor was designated 
on August 13, 2021, for having acted or purported to act for or on 
behalf of, directly or indirectly, MININT. Sotomayor is the chief of 
the Political Directorate of MININT, which has deployed, amongst other 
forces, the SNB and PNR to respond to the protests. These forces and 
others have violently attacked and arrested protestors across Cuba.
     Pedro Orlando Martinez Fernandez: Martinez was designated 
on August 13, 2021, for having acted or purported to act for or on 
behalf of, directly or indirectly, MININT. Martinez is the chief of the 
Political Directorate of the Policia Nacional Revolucionaria (PNR).
     Tropas de Prevencion (TDP): The TDP was designated on 
August 13, 2021, for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted 
or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Alvaro 
Lopez Miera. The TDP have violently attacked and arrested protestors 
across Cuba. The TDP, also known as ``Boinas Rojas'' or Red Berets, is 
a unit of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) that is commanded by 
MINFAR and functions as military police. TDP soldiers were deployed 
during the recent protests, and in one instance have been involved in a 
violent engagement with a protestor.
     Abelardo Jimenez Gonzalez: Jimenez was designated on 
August 19, 2021, for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf 
of, directly or indirectly, MININT, a person whose property and 
interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13818. Jimenez is 
the Chief of the Directorate of Penitentiary Establishments, under 
MININT; in this role, he is responsible for the treatment and 
disposition of people imprisoned in Cuba. Cuban security forces have 
detained more than 800 people in response to the protests, with many 
being held in ``preventative jail,'' and the whereabouts of multiple 
people are still unknown.
     Andres Laureano Gonzalez Brito: Gonzalez was designated on 
August 19, 2021, for being a foreign person who is or has been a leader 
or official of an entity, including any government entity, that has 
engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, directly or indirectly, 
serious human rights abuse relating to Gonzalez's tenure. Gonzalez is 
the Chief of the Central Army, under the Cuban Ministry of 
Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR).
     Roberto Legra Sotolongo: Legra was designated on August 
19, 2021, for being a foreign person who is or has been a leader or 
official of an entity, including any government entity, that has 
engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, directly or indirectly, 
serious human rights abuse relating to Legra's tenure. Legra is the 
Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and Chief of the Directorate of 
Operations of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), under MINFAR, which 
deployed the TDP in response to the demonstrations.
    4. Ahmad Hassan Mohammed Al Asiri: Asiri was designated on February 
26, 2021, for being a foreign person who is responsible for or 
complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human 
rights abuse. Asiri is the former Deputy Head of Saudi Arabia's General 
Intelligence Presidency. Asiri was the ringleader of the operation and 
coordinated with Saud Al-Qahtani to organize and dispatch the 15-man 
team to murder and dismember Khashoggi on October 2, 2018, inside the 
Saudi Consulate in Turkey.
    5. Rapid Intervention Force (RIF): Saudi Arabia's RIF was 
designated on February 26, 2021, for being owned or controlled by, or 
having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or 
indirectly, al-Qahtani, a person whose property and interests in 
property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13818. Several members of the hit 
squad sent to intercept Khashoggi were part of the RIF, also known as 
the ``Tiger Squad'' or Firqat el-Nemr.

[[Page 18626]]

    6. Wang Junzheng: Junzheng was designated on March 22, 2021, for 
having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or 
indirectly, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC). 
Junzheng is Secretary of the Party Committee of the XPCC. The XPCC is a 
paramilitary organization in the XUAR that is subordinate to the 
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and was designated on July 31, 2020, for 
its connection to serious human rights abuse against members of ethnic 
minority groups in Xinjiang, which reportedly includes arbitrary 
detention and severe physical abuse, among other serious human rights 
abuses targeting Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim population indigenous to 
Xinjiang, and members of other ethnic minority groupies in the region.
    7. Chen Mingguo: Mingguo was designated on March 22, 2021, for 
being a foreign person who is or has been a leader or official of the 
Xinjiang Public Security Bureau (XPSB), an entity, including a 
government entity, that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged 
in, serious human rights abuse relating to Chen's tenure. Mingguo is 
Director of the XPSB. The XPSB was designated on July 9, 2020, for 
being a foreign entity responsible for, or complicit in, or that has 
directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse against 
members of ethnic minority groupies in Xinjiang, which reportedly 
includes arbitrary detention and severe physical abuse, among other 
serious human rights abuses targeting Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim 
population indigenous to Xinjiang, and members of other ethnic minority 
groupies in the region.
    8. Gustavo Adolfo Alejos Cambara: Cambara was designated on April 
26, 2021, for being foreign person who is a current or former 
government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such an 
official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly 
or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of 
state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, 
corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural 
resources, or bribery. Cambara was the former Chief of Staff for the 
Alvaro Colom presidential administration. Cambara had been seeking to 
influence the judicial selection process for magistrates to the 
Guatemala Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) and Court of Appeals. To do 
this, Cambara reportedly facilitated payments to congressional 
representatives and judges on the CSJ, to influence an outcome at both 
institutions that would secure Cambara's future release from prison, 
dismiss the corruption charges against him, and protect accomplices 
from future prosecution due to corruption.
    9. Felipe Alejos Lorenzana: Lorenzana was designated on April 26, 
2021, for being foreign person who is a current or former government 
official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who 
is responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly or indirectly 
engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, 
the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption 
related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, 
or bribery. Lorenzana was an elected delegate to the Congress of the 
Republic of Guatemala for the 2020-2024 term. Lorenzana is a close 
associate of Cambara, and allegedly facilitated bribes and payments 
from private construction firms for ongoing or potential state 
infrastructure contracts to congressional representatives, with the 
goal of ensuring congressional support of Constitutional Court 
magistrates and alternates, who would support a future Constitutional 
Court ruling favoring Lorenzana's own immunity, keeping Lorenzana and 
other congressional representatives out of jail.
    10. Vassil Kroumov Bojkov: Bojkov was designated on June 2, 2021, 
for being a person who has materially assisted, sponsored, or provided 
financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services 
to or in support of corruption, including the misappropriation of state 
assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, 
corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural 
resources, or bribery. Bojkov is a prominent Bulgarian businessman and 
oligarch who has bribed government officials on several occasions. In 
addition to Bojkov, OFAC designated 58 entities registered in Bulgaria 
that are owned or controlled by Bojkov or one of his companies. This 
was the single largest one-day tranche of designations in the history 
of the Global Magnitsky program.
    11. Delyan Slavchev Peevski: Peevski was designated on June 2, 
2021, for being a foreign person who is a current or former government 
official, or person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who is 
responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly or indirectly 
engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, 
the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption 
related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, 
or bribery. Peevski is an oligarch who previously served as a Bulgarian 
MP and media mogul who regularly engaged in corruption, using influence 
peddling and bribes to protect himself from public scrutiny and exert 
control over key institutions and sectors in Bulgarian society. In 
September 2019, Peevski actively worked to negatively influence the 
Bulgarian political process in the October 27, 2019, municipal 
election. Peevski negotiated with politicians to provide them with 
political support and positive media coverage in return for receiving 
protection from criminal investigations. In addition to Peevski, OFAC 
designated six entities registered in Bulgaria that are owned or 
controlled by Peevski or one of his companies.
    12. Ilko Dimitrov Zhelyazkov: Zhelyazkov was designated on June 2, 
2021, for being a foreign person who is a current or former government 
official, or person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who is 
responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly or indirectly 
engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, 
the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption 
related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, 
or bribery. Zhelyazkov is the former Deputy Chief of the Bulgarian 
State Agency for Technical Operations and former Bulgarian State Agency 
for National Security (DANS) officer who was appointed to the National 
Bureau for Control on Special Intelligence-Gathering Devices. Peevski 
used Zhelyazkov to conduct a bribery scheme involving Bulgarian 
residency documents for foreign persons, as well as to bribe government 
officials through various means in exchange for their information and 
loyalty.
    13. Filipos Woldeyohannes: Woldeyohannes was designated on August 
23, 2021, for being a foreign person who is a leader or official of an 
entity, including any government entity, that has engaged in or whose 
members have engaged in, serious human rights abuse relating to his 
tenure. General Woldeyohannes is the Chief of Staff of the Eritrean 
Defense Forces (EDF). In this role, he commands the EDF forces that 
have been operating in Ethiopia. The EDF are responsible for massacres, 
looting, and sexual assaults. EDF troops have raped, tortured, and 
executed civilians; they have also destroyed property and ransacked 
businesses. The EDF have purposely shot civilians in the street and 
carried out systematic house-to-house searches, executing men and boys, 
and have forcibly evicted Tigrayan families from their residences and 
taken over their houses and property.

[[Page 18627]]

    14. Kassem Mohamed Hijazi: Kassem Hijazi was designated on August 
24, 2021, for being a foreign person who has materially assisted, 
sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support 
for, or goods or services to or in support of corruption, including the 
misappropriation of state assets, corruption related to government 
contracts, or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery. 
Operating as a despachante, or dispatcher, in Paraguay since at least 
2017, Kassem Hijazi commands and controls a money laundering 
organization based out of Ciudad Del Este, Paraguay, which operates on 
a global scale with the capability to launder hundreds of millions of 
dollars. OFAC also designated Espana Informatica S.A. and three other 
entities, as they are owned or controlled by Kassem Hijazi.
    15. Khalil Ahmad Hijazi: Khalil Hijazi was designated on August 24, 
2021, for being a foreign person who has materially assisted, 
sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support 
for, or goods or services to or in support of Kassem. Khalil Hijazi is 
designated for being a foreign person who has materially assisted, 
sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support 
for, or goods or services to or in support of Kassem Hijazi.
    16. Liz Paola Doldan Gonzalez: Doldan was designated on August 24, 
2021, for being a foreign person who has materially assisted, 
sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support 
for, or goods or services to or in support of corruption, including the 
misappropriation of state assets, corruption related to government 
contracts, or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery. Doldan 
was identified as an intermediary working with Kassem Hijazi who works 
with shipments from the United States. Doldan used her company based in 
Paraguay, Mobile Zone International Import-Export S.R.L. (Mobile Zone), 
to purchase goods from a company based in Miami, Florida, which would 
subsequently send these goods to several shell companies in Paraguay. 
As the goods would enter the country destined for these shell 
companies, Paraguayan Customs would identify the cell phones as cheaper 
goods, such as printers and printer toner, to simulate the importation 
of lower-cost items, a practice that would allow Mobile Zone to pay 
less tax on the imports. Mobile Zone was also designated by OFAC.
    17. Chau Phirun: Phirun was designated on November 10, 2021, for 
being a foreign person who is a current or former government official, 
or person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who is 
responsible for or complicit in, or have directly or indirectly engaged 
in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the 
expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related 
to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or 
bribery. Phirun is the Director-General of the Defense Ministry's 
Material and Technical Services Department who conspired to profit from 
activities regarding the construction and updating of Ream Naval Base 
facilities.
    18. Tea Vinh: Vinh was designated on November 10, 2021, for being a 
foreign person who is a current or former government official, or 
person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who is responsible 
for or complicit in, or have directly or indirectly engaged in, 
corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the 
expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related 
to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or 
bribery. Vinh is the Royal Cambodian Navy Commander. Along with Chau 
Phirun, Vinh likely conspired to inflate the cost of facilities at Ream 
Naval Base and personally benefit from the proceeds. Phirun and Vinh 
planned to share funds skimmed from the Ream Naval Base project.
    19. Alain Mukonda Mayandu: Mukonda was designated on December 6, 
2021, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, 
material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in 
support of Gertler, a person whose property and interests in property 
are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13818. Mukonda made 16 cash deposits 
totaling between 11 and 13.5 million dollars into accounts of companies 
he incorporated that ultimately belong to Gertler's family. He also re-
domiciled several of Gertler's companies from Gibraltar and the British 
Virgin Islands to the DRC.
    20. 11 entities based in the DRC, as well as one entity in 
Gibraltar, which are owned or controlled by Mukonda, were designated: 
Kintaleg Limited, Ventora Global Services, Ventora Mining S.A.S.U., 
Ashdale Settlement Gerco SAS, Opera, Palatina SARLU, Gemini S.A.S.U., 
Kaltona Limited SASU, Multree Limited SASU, Rosehill DRC SASU, 
Woodhaven DRC SASU, Woodford Enterprises Limited SASU.
    21. Abel Kandiho: Kandiho was designated on December 7, 2021, for 
being a foreign person who is or has been a leader or official of an 
entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious 
human rights abuse relating to his tenure. Kandiho is the commander of 
the Ugandan Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI). CMI officers 
have arrested, detained, and physically abused Ugandan citizens. The 
CMI targeted individuals due to their political views or critique of 
the Ugandan government. Individuals were taken into custody and held, 
often without legal proceedings, at CMI detention facilities where they 
were subjected to horrific beatings and other egregious acts by CMI 
officials, including electrocutions, often resulting in significant 
long-term injury and even death. During these incarcerations, victims 
were kept in solitary confinement and unable to contact friends, 
family, or legal support. Kandiho was personally involved leading 
interrogations of detained individuals while they were mistreated.
    22. Zvonko Veselinovic and criminal network: Veselinovic was 
designated on December 8, 2021, for being a foreign person who is or 
has been a leader or official of an entity, including any government 
entity, that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, 
corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the 
expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related 
to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or 
bribery, related to their tenure. Veselinovic is the leader of the 
Zvonko Veselinovic Organized Crime Group (OCG), one of Kosovo's most 
notorious corrupt figures. Milan Rajko Radojcic and Zharko Veselinovic 
were also designated for being foreign persons who are or have been a 
leader or official of an entity, including any government entity, that 
has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, corruption, including 
the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private 
assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or 
the extraction of natural resources, or bribery, related to their 
tenure. The Veselinovic OCG is engaged in a large-scale bribery scheme 
with Kosovo and Serbian security officials who facilitate the group's 
illicit trafficking of goods, money, narcotics, and weapons between 
Kosovo and Serbia. The group has also conspired with various 
politicians in several quid pro quo agreements. Zeljko Bojic is being 
designated for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided 
financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services 
to or in support of Veselinovic.
    23. On December 8, 2021, nine associates were designated that have 
acted for or on Veselinovic's behalf: Marko Rosic, Andrija Zheljko 
Bojic,

[[Page 18628]]

Srdjan Milivoje Vulovic, Milan Mihajlovic, Miljan Radisavljevic, 
Miljojko Radisavljevic, Radovan Radic, Sinisa Nedeljkovic, and Radule 
Stevic. Twenty-four entities across Europe that are owned or controlled 
by members of the Veselinovic OCG were also designated.
    24. Osiris Luna Meza (Luna) and Carlos Amilcar Marroquin Chica 
(Marroquin), Alma Yanira Meza Olivares (Meza): Luna and Marroquin were 
designated on December 8, 2021, for being foreign persons who are 
current or former government officials, or persons acting for or on 
behalf of such an official, who are responsible for or complicit in, or 
have directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the 
misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets 
for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the 
extraction of natural resources, or bribery; and Meza was designated 
for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, 
material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in 
support of,Luna. Luna is the Chief of the Salvadoran Penal System and 
Vice Minister of Justice and Public Security. Marroquin is the Chairman 
of the Social Fabric Reconstruction Unit. Luna and Marroquin led, 
facilitated, and organized several secret meetings involving 
incarcerated gang leaders, in which known gang members were allowed to 
enter the prison facilities and meet with senior gang leadership to 
facilitate command and control of this transnational organization. 
These meetings were part of the Government of El Salvador's efforts to 
negotiate a secret truce with gang leadership. Over the course of these 
negotiations with Luna and Marroquin, gang leadership also agreed to 
provide political support to the Nuevas Ideas political party in 
upcoming elections. Separately, Luna participated in a scheme to steal 
and re-sell government purchased staple goods that were originally 
destined for COVID-19 pandemic relief. Luna's mother, Meza, acted as 
the negotiator in some of these transactions.
    25. Martha Carolina Recinos De Bernal: Recinos was designated on 
December 9, 2021, for being a foreign person who is a current or former 
government official, or person acting for or on behalf of such an 
official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or 
indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of 
state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, 
corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural 
resources, or bribery. Recinos is the Chief ofCabinet in the Bukele 
administration and was designated in connection with corruption in the 
administration's handling of COVID-19 related assistance including 
significant markups of donated personal protective equipment and other 
medical aid for their personal benefit.
    26. Manuel Victor Martinez Olivet: Martinez was designated on 
December 9, 2021, for being a foreign person who is a current or former 
government official, or person acting for or on behalf of such an 
official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or 
indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of 
state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, 
corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural 
resources, or bribery. During his tenure as the Director of the Santa 
Rosa Health Area within the Guatemalan Ministry of Public Health, 
Martinez engaged in various acts of misappropriation, fraud, abuse of 
authority and favored companies related to his family and directly 
awarded contracts to them without going through the public bidding 
process, circumventing the regular procurement process.
    27. ARC Resources Corporation Limited (ARC Resources) and Winners 
Construction Company Limited (Winners): ARC Resources and Winners were 
designated on December 9, 2021, for being owned or controlled by 
Benjamin Bol Mel (Bol Mel), an individual previously included in the 
Annex of E.O. 13818 in December 2017 in South Sudan. Bol Mel previously 
oversaw ABMC Thai-South Sudan Construction Company Limited (ABMC), 
which was awarded contracts worth tens of millions of dollars by the 
Government of South Sudan (GoSS) and allegedly received preferential 
treatment from high-level officials in a non-competitive process for 
selecting ABMC to do roadwork throughout South Sudan. ARC Resources is 
linked to ABMC and has been used by senior members of the South 
Sudanese transitional government for laundering money. Both ARC 
Resources and Winners have been used to evade sanctions and travel 
restrictions on Bol Mel and have been awarded noncompetitive and 
substantial oil-backed contracts from the GoSS for road construction.
    28. Prince Yormie Johnson: Johnson was designated on December 9, 
2021, for being a foreign person who is a current or former government 
official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who 
is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly 
engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, 
the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption 
related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, 
or bribery. Johnson is a former warlord, former Chairman of the Senate 
Committee on National Security, Defense, Intelligence, and Veteran 
Affairs and a current member of the Liberian Senate. As a Senator, 
Johnson was involved in pay for play funding with government ministries 
and organizations for personal enrichment. As part of the scheme, upon 
receiving funding from the Government of Liberia, the government 
ministries and organizations launder a portion of the funding for 
return to the involved participants.
    29. Andriy Portnov: Portnov was designated on December 9, 2021, for 
being a foreign person who is a current or former government official, 
or a person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who is 
responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged 
in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the 
expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related 
to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or 
bribery. Portnov is the former Deputy Head of the Ukrainian 
Presidential Administration under former President Yanukovych. Portnov 
has taken steps to control the Ukrainian judiciary, influence 
associated legislation, sought to place loyal officials in senior 
judiciary positions, and purchase court decisions. Portnov colluded 
with Ukrainian government officials to shape the country's higher legal 
institutions to their advantage,and influence Ukraine's Constitutional 
Court. Portnovwas also involved in an attempt to influencea Ukrainian 
Prosecutor General.
    30. The Andriy Portnov Fund was designated on December 9, 2021, for 
being owned and controlled by Portnov.
    31. Fragoso do Nascimento and Manuel Helder Vieira Dias Junior: 
Nascimento and Dias Junior were designated on December 9, 2021, for 
being foreign persons who are current or former government officials, 
or persons acting for or on behalf of such an official, who are 
responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged 
in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the 
expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related 
to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or 
bribery. Both are government officials that were discovered to have 
stolen billions of dollars from the Angolan government

[[Page 18629]]

through embezzlement. Baia Consulting Limited (Baia) was also 
designated on December 9, 2021, for being owned or controlled by Dias 
Junior, and Luisa De Fatima Giovetty was designated for materially 
assisting, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or 
technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, 
Baia, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked.
    32. Four entities were designated on December 9, 2021, that are 
owned or controlled by Nascimento.
    33. Shohrat Zakir: Zakir was designated on December 10, 2021, for 
being a foreign person who is or has been a leader or official of an 
entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious 
human rights abuse relating to his tenure. Zakir served as the Chairman 
of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China (XUAR) from 2014 
until 2021 and as Deputy Secretary for the Party Standing Committee of 
XUAR since 2014. During his tenure, up to two million Uyghurs and 
members of other predominantly Muslim ethnic minority groups have been 
detained in Xinjiang. On July 9, 2020, OFAC designated the Xinjiang 
Public Security Bureau (XPSB), a constituent department of the XUAR, 
for its role in the serious human rights abuse that has occurred in 
Xinjiang since at least late 2016.
    34. Erken Tuniyaz: Tuniyaz was designated on December 10, 2021, for 
being a foreign person who is or has been a leader or official of an 
entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious 
human rights abuse relating to his tenure. Tuniyaz serves as the acting 
Chairman of the XUAR and had served as the Vice Chairman of the XUAR 
since 2008. During his tenure, up to two million Uyghurs and members of 
other predominantly Muslim ethnic minority groups have been detained in 
Xinjiang. On July 9, 2020, OFAC designated the Xinjiang Public Security 
Bureau (XPSB), a constituent department of the XUAR, for its role in 
the serious human rights abuse that has occurred in Xinjiang since at 
least late 2016.
    35. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB): The RAB was designated on 
December 10, 2021, for being a foreign entity who is responsible for or 
complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human 
rights abuse. NGOs have alleged that RAB and other Bangladeshi law 
enforcement are responsible for more than 600 disappearances since 
2009, nearly 600 extrajudicial killings since 2018, and torture. Some 
reports suggest these incidents target opposition party members, 
journalists, and human rights activists.
    The following individuals are designated in connection with the 
RAB:
     Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun: Al-Mamun was designated on 
December 10, 2021, for being a foreign person who is or has been a 
leader or official of RAB, an entity that has engaged in, or whose 
members have engaged in, serious human rights abuse relating to his 
tenure. Al-Mamun serves as the Director General of RAB since April 15, 
2020.
     Benazir Ahmed: Ahmed was designated on December 10, 2021, 
for being a foreign person who is or has been a leader or official of 
RAB, an entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, 
serious human rights abuse relating to his tenure. Ahmed served as 
Director General of RAB from January 2015 to April 14, 2020.
     Khan Mohammad Azad: Azad was designated on December 10, 
2021, for being a foreign person who is or has been a leader or 
official of RAB, an entity that has engaged in, or whose members have 
engaged in, serious human rights abuse relating to his tenure. Azad 
serves as Additional Director General of Operations of RAB since March 
16, 2021.
     Tofayel Mustafa Sorwar: Sorwar was designated on December 
10, 2021, for being a foreign person who is or has been a leader or 
official of RAB, an entity that has engaged in, or whose members have 
engaged in, serious human rights abuse relating to his tenure. Sorwar 
served as Additional Director General Operations of RAB from June 27, 
2019 to March 16, 2021.
     Mohammad Jahangir Alam: Alam was designated on December 
10, 2021, for being a foreign person who is or has been a leader or 
official of RAB, an entity that has engaged in, or whose members have 
engaged in, serious human rights abuse relating to his tenure. Alam 
served as Additional Director General Operations of RAB from September 
17, 2018 to June 27, 2019.
     Mohammad Anwar Latif Khan: Khan was designated on December 
10, 2021, for being a foreign person who is or has been a leader or 
official of RAB, an entity that has engaged in, or whose members have 
engaged in, serious human rights abuse relating to his tenure. Khan 
served as Additional Director General Operations of RAB from April 28, 
2016 to September 17, 2018.

Visa Restrictions Imposed

    Although no visa restrictions were imposed under the Act during 
2021, persons designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 shall be subject to the 
visa restrictions articulated in section 2, unless an exception 
applies. Section 2 provides that the entry of persons designated under 
section 1 of the order is suspended pursuant to Presidential 
Proclamation 8693. In 2021, the State Department also applied, when 
appropriate, visa restrictions on foreign persons involved in 
significant corruption or a gross violation of human rights under other 
authorities, reported to Congress through other means. As appropriate, 
the Department of State will take additional action to impose visa 
restrictions on those responsible for certain human rights violations 
and significant corruption pursuant to other authorities, including 
Presidential Proclamations 7750 and 8697, and Section 7031(c) of the 
FY2021 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, 
as carried forward by the FY2022 Continuing Appropriations Act, 2022. 
In addition, section 212(a)(3)(E) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act renders aliens ineligible for visas if a consular officer has 
reason to believe that they participated in acts of genocide, torture 
or extra judicial killings.

Efforts To Encourage Governments of Other Countries To Impose Sanctions 
Similar to Those Authorized by the Act

    In 2021, the Administration continued its successful outreach 
campaign to international partners regarding the expansion of domestic 
and multilateral anticorruption and human rights sanctions regimes. On 
March 22, 2021, the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, in unity 
with the European Union, coordinated action to sanction those connected 
to serious human rights abuse in the Xinjiang region of China. The UK 
established its Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions regime in April 2021. 
This program was announced with coordinated concurrent designations 
with the United States. During this reporting period, Australia 
conducted a review of its thematic sanctions programs, with legislation 
to amend their authorities introduced to Parliament in November 2021 
and enacted on December 2, 2021. Over the course of the reporting 
period, the Administration worked closely with the like-minded partners 
in pursuing coordinated actions against human rights abusers and 
corrupt actors. Throughout this and future outreach,

[[Page 18630]]

the Administration has identified and will continue to identify 
champions, partners, and potential spoilers of the objectives 
established by Congress within the Act. The Departments of State and 
the Treasury have, over the last year, shared information, coordinated 
messaging, and provided technical assistance to this end. The 
Administration will continue to seek out additional allies and partners 
to jointly leverage all tools at our disposal to deny access to the 
U.S. and international financial systems and deny entry to the United 
States to all those who engage in serious human rights abuse and 
corruption.

Alexandra King-Pile,
Economic Officer, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2023-06464 Filed 3-28-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-AE-P