2022 Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act Annual Report, 19344-19348 [2023-06749]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 62 (Friday, March 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19344-19348]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-06749]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 12028]


2022 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 21, 2022, the Under Secretary of 
State for Political Affairs approved the following report pursuant to 
the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (Pub. L. 114-328, 
Title XII, Subtitle F), as amended by Public Law 117-110, Section 6 
(collectively, ``the Act''), which is implemented and built upon by 
E.O. 13818 of December 20, 2017, ``E.O. 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 2022 reporting period.
    In 2022, the United States took significant action under the Global 
Magnitsky sanctions program (``Global Magnitsky''), designating 35 
foreign persons over the course of the year. As of December 10, 2022, 
the United States has designated a total of 450 foreign persons 
(individuals and entities) pursuant to E.O. 13818. This sanctions 
program, which targets those connected to serious human rights abuse, 
corrupt actors, and their enablers, represents the best of the United 
States' values and enduring commitment 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 maintain U.S. global leadership on 
anticorruption and human rights promotion in coordination with U.S. 
partners, allies, and civil society where appropriate. In recognition 
of the repeal of Section 1265 of the Act, signed into law on April 8, 
2022 in Public Law 117-110, Section 6 (which enables the 
Reauthorization of Sanctions Under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 
Accountability Act with Respect to Human Rights Violations and 
Corruption), the Administration can and will continue to utilize this 
tool to promote respect for human rights and the rule of law globally.
    As the President outlined in his 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, 
erodes government stability, impedes economic development, and is 
increasingly weaponized by authoritarian states to undermine democratic 
institutions. The United States seeks to promote respect for human 
rights; address discrimination, inequity, and marginalization in all 
its forms; and stand up for democracy, the rule of law, and human 
dignity. On all these issues, the United States works 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 NSS.
    The Global Magnitsky program and cooperation with like-minded 
international partners directly address the objectives outlined in the 
President's 2021 Memorandum on Establishing the Fight Against 
Corruption as a Core National Security Interest. This memorandum states 
that corruption threatens U.S. national security, economic equity, 
global anti-poverty and development efforts, and democracy itself. It 
directs U.S. government action to strengthen efforts to hold 
accountable corrupt individuals and their facilitators, including by, 
where appropriate, identifying, freezing, and recovering stolen assets 
through sanctions or other authorities; 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.
    On December 20, 2021, President Biden elevated anti-corruption to 
the forefront of U.S. national security strategy with the first ever 
U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption, consisting of five mutually 
reinforcing pillars, including (i) Modernizing, Coordinating, and 
Resourcing U.S. Government Efforts to Fight Corruption, (ii) Curbing 
Illicit Finance, (iii) Holding Corrupt Actors Accountable, (iv) 
Preserving and Strengthening the Multilateral Anti-Corruption 
Architecture, and (v) Improving Diplomatic Engagement and Leveraging 
Foreign Assistance. This anti-corruption strategy spotlights the Global 
Magnitsky sanctions program among the U.S. government's foreign policy 
tools for promoting global accountability for serious human rights 
abuse and corruption through the imposition of financial sanctions on 
foreign persons.
    Actions taken in 2022 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, corrupt politicians

[[Page 19345]]

undermining the rule of law in Central America and a People's Republic 
of China (PRC) fishing network connected to serious human rights abuse 
involving forced labor. The actions against the PRC fishing network in 
particular demonstrated the U.S. government's ongoing effort to impose 
tangible and significant consequences on those engaged in serious human 
rights abuse, including on those vessels engaged in illegal, 
unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
    As noted in the Presidential Memorandum on Combating Illegal, 
Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing and Associated Labor Abuses, if IUU 
fishing and associated labor abuses are left unchecked, they threaten 
the livelihoods and human rights of fishers around the world and 
undermine U.S. economic competitiveness, national security, and fishery 
sustainability. This was the first time the United States has 
sanctioned an entity connected to serious human rights abuse related to 
forced labor issues. Where applicable, the United States used Global 
Magnitsky sanctions in coordination with international law enforcement 
actions, including Drug Enforcement Administration and Federal Bureau 
of Investigation (FBI) investigations, extraditions, and indictments. 
These designations demonstrate the Administration's resolve to leverage 
this important tool judiciously and to strategic effect.
    When considering financial sanctions under Global Magnitsky, the 
United States prioritizes actions that are expected to produce a 
tangible and significant impact on corrupt actors, serious human rights 
abusers, and their affiliates, and prompt changes in behavior or 
disrupt the activities of malign actors. Sanctions under the Global 
Magnitsky program aim to target systemic corruption and human rights 
abuse, including the networks that engage in, facilitate, or perpetuate 
sustained patterns of such illicit behavior rather than incidental acts 
by individual targets. 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 2022, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the 
Secretary of State and the Attorney General, imposed financial 
sanctions on the following 35 foreign persons (individuals and 
entities) pursuant to E.O. 13818 (ordered by date of designation):

Sudan

     Central Reserve Police: The Central Reserve Police (CRP) 
was designated on March 21, 2022, for being a foreign person 
responsible for or complicit in, or that has directly or indirectly 
engaged in, serious human rights abuse. The CRP is a militarized 
Sudanese police unit that has been at the forefront of the Sudanese 
security forces' violent response to peaceful protests in Khartoum. On 
January 17, 2022, the CRP and the anti-riot police led a deployment of 
Sudanese security forces to suppress demonstrations across Khartoum. 
Using live ammunition, CRP officers fired on protestors throughout the 
day. When protestors fled the scene, CRP, anti-riot police, and regular 
police chased them, arresting and beating some with batons and gun 
butts.

Liberia

     Bill Twehway: Twehway was designated on August 15, 2022, 
for being a foreign person who is a current government 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. Twehway is the current Managing Director of the National 
Port Authority (NPA). Twehway orchestrated the diversion of $1.5 
million in vessel storage fee funds from the NPA into a private 
account. Twehway secretly formed a private company to which, through 
his position at the NPA, he later unilaterally awarded a contract for 
loading and unloading cargo at the Port of Buchanan. Twehway and others 
used family members to obfuscate their own involvement in the company 
while still benefitting financially from the company.
     Sayma Syrenius Cephus: Cephus was designated on August 15, 
2022, for being a foreign person who is a current government 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. Cephus is the current Solicitor General and 
Chief Prosecutor of Liberia. Cephus has received bribes from 
individuals in exchange for having their cases dropped; worked behind 
the scenes to establish arrangements with subjects of money laundering 
investigations to cease investigations in order to personally benefit 
financially; utilized his position to hinder investigations and block 
the prosecution of corruption cases involving members of the 
government; and has been accused of tampering with and purposefully 
withholding evidence in cases involving members of opposition political 
parties to ensure conviction.
     Nathaniel McGill: McGill was designated on August 15, 
2022, for being a foreign person who is a current government 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. During his tenure in government, McGill has 
bribed business owners, received bribes from potential investors, and 
accepted kickbacks for steering contracts to companies in which he has 
an interest. McGill is credibly accused of involvement in a wide range 
of other corrupt schemes including soliciting bribes from government 
office seekers and misappropriating government assets for personal 
gain.

Moldova

     Vladimir Plahotniuc: Plahotniuc was designated on October 
26, 2022, for being a foreign person who is a former government 
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. Plahotniuc is a former Moldovan Member of 
Parliament who served as both de facto leader and elected chair of the 
Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM). Plahotniuc directed Moldovan law 
enforcement to focus investigations on individuals and

[[Page 19346]]

entities that were in political opposition to him and the PDM in 
advance of elections in 2018. Plahotniuc also used Moldovan government 
officials as intermediaries to bribe law enforcement officials in order 
to maintain their loyalty and further cement his control over Moldova; 
explicitly engaged in corrupt arrangements with Moldovan government 
officials; and attempted to bribe Moldovan politicians to switch 
political parties. Plahotniuc controlled the judicial system and used 
Moldovan courts to manipulate and invalidate the June 2018 mayoral 
election in Chisinau and close voting stations in areas where his party 
was not expected to do well. Plahotniuc maintained control of key media 
outlets, further enabling his influence and ability to exert leverage 
over the government to target his opponents and protect himself and his 
allies.

Guatemala

     Dmitry Kudryakov: Kudryakov was designated on November 18, 
2022, for being a foreign person who 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. Kudryakov, a Russian 
national, led multiple bribery schemes over several years involving 
politicians, judges, and government officials to exploit the Guatemalan 
mining sector. Kudryakov is the leader of Solway Investment mining 
operations in Guatemala.
     Iryna Litviniuk: Litviniuk was designated on November 18, 
2022, for being a foreign person who 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. Litviniuk, a Belarusian 
national, led multiple bribery schemes over several years involving 
politicians, judges, and government officials to exploit the Guatemalan 
mining sector. Litviniuk conducted corrupt acts in furtherance of 
Russian influence peddling schemes by unlawfully giving cash payments 
to public officials in exchange for support for Russian mining 
interests.
     Compania Guatemalteca de Niquel, Compania Procesadora de 
Niquel, and Mayaniquel: Compania Guatemalteca de Niquel (CGN), Compania 
Procesadora de Niquel (ProNiCo), and Mayaniquel were designated on 
November 18, 2022, for their connection with Kudryakov and Litviniuk's 
corruption schemes. These entities are subsidiaries of the Solway 
Investment group, a Russian enterprise that has exploited Guatemalan 
mines since 2011. CGN, ProNiCo, and Mayaniquel are subsidiaries of the 
Russian enterprise Solway Investment group and are owned or controlled 
by, directly or indirectly, Kudryakov. CGN, ProNiCo, and Mayaniquel are 
registered in Guatemala.
     Allan Estuardo Rodriguez Reyes: Rodriguez Reyes was 
designated on December 9, 2022, for being a foreign person who is a 
former government 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. Rodriguez Reyes utilized 
his authority as President of Congress to award construction grants in 
exchange for financial kickbacks. Rodriguez Reyes has used his 
political influence to strike deals in exchange for bribes and 
facilitated bribes to others, including, for example, by allegedly 
offering bribes for votes on a state of emergency bill during a floor 
session of congress.
     Jorge Estuardo Vargas Morales: Vargas Morales was 
designated on December 9, 2022, for being a foreign person who is a 
current or former government 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. Vargas 
Morales is a Guatemalan congressman and one of several individuals at 
the apex of a network designed to control contracts and operations at 
government-run ports for personal profit. He oversees project execution 
once contracts are awarded and pays out a percentage to board members 
who vote in favor. Additionally, Vargas Morales controls employment at 
the port through his influence in the port labor unions and uses those 
unions to gain political leverage. He maintains loyalties by paying 
bribes in exchange for unions creating blockades and strikes to advance 
his political objectives.
     Luis Alfonso Chang Navarro: Chang Navarro was designated 
on December 9, 2022, for being a foreign person who is a current or 
former government 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. Chang Navarro was the 
Minister of Energy and Mines from 2016-2020; additionally, as Minister 
of Energy and Mines, Chang Navarro was the head of the board of 
Guatemala's National Electrification Institute (INDE) and allegedly 
used his position to secure kickbacks. He solicited bribes and other 
favors in exchange for not revoking an oil exploitation license. Chang 
Navarro's modus operandi was to use his position as Minister to 
``create problems'' for a business and then offer a solution in 
exchange for bribes and other unlawful favors.

El Salvador

     Conan Tonathiu Castro Ramirez: Castro Ramirez was 
designated on December 9, 2022, for being a foreign person who is a 
current or former government 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. Castro 
Ramirez, during his tenure as Presidential Legal Secretary, obstructed 
investigations into the misappropriation of public funds during the 
government's response to the pandemic and used his office for personal 
financial gain.
     Oscar Rolando Castro: Rolando Castro was designated on 
December 9, 2022, for being a foreign person who is a current or former 
government 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. As Minister of Labor, 
Rolando Castro engaged in corruption and misappropriated public funds 
for his personal benefit. As Minister, Rolando Castro used his position 
to influence unions to align with the Ministry of Labor's political 
interests and engage in activities that benefitted him and his 
political allies in order to receive expedited processing of their 
credentials. Some of those who agreed received additional benefits, 
such as favored access for international travel while some of those who 
refused to

[[Page 19347]]

align with Rolando Castro faced harassment, retaliation, and delayed 
union certification.

Guinea

     Alpha Conde: Conde was designated on December 9, 2022, 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, serious human rights abuse relating to his 
tenure. Conde is the former President of Guinea who was ousted in a 
coup d'[eacute]tat in September 2021. Under his presidency, security 
forces engaged in violence against supporters of Conde's opposition 
leading up to a March 2020 constitutional referendum that enabled Conde 
to run for a third term. Violence against opposition members continued 
through and after the October 2020 Guinean presidential election. In 
early 2020, Conde ordered ministers to create a police unit to respond 
to anti-Conde protesters, with violence if necessary. Around the 
October 2020 Guinean presidential election, security forces used 
excessive force to disperse opposition supporters. Among other 
incidents, security forces reportedly fired live bullets into crowds 
that had gathered to celebrate the victory announcement of Conde's 
opposition and shot two minors, killing one, and shooting one in the 
back as he ran away. After the October 2020 election, security forces 
reportedly killed over a dozen individuals, including individuals 
killed at close range who presented no immediate danger to the security 
forces.

Mali

     Karim Keita: Keita was designated on December 9, 2022, for 
being a foreign person who is a current or former government 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. Keita is the son of former Mali President 
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and the former president of the Security and 
Defense Commission of Mali's National Assembly. Keita oversaw Mali's 
defense spending from February 2014 until August 2020, when the 
military overthrew his father. Keita allegedly used his position to 
receive bribes, assign contracts to affiliates who subsequently paid 
him kickbacks, and embezzle government funds by overpaying on contracts 
for materiel. Through his father, Keita allegedly arranged to remove 
from their positions officials who did not support his corruption. 
Keita also ostensibly arranged bribes to support his father's re-
election. After his father was ousted, Keita fled to Cote d'Ivoire, 
where he serves as the CEO of Konijane Strategic Marketing.
     Konijane Strategic Marketing: Konijane Strategic Marketing 
was designated on December 9, 2022, for being owned or controlled by 
Keita. Keita currently serves as the CEO of Konijane Strategic 
Marketing.

Philippines

     Apollo Quiboloy: Quiboloy was designated on December 9, 
2022, for being a foreign person who is or has been responsible for or 
complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human 
rights abuse. For more than a decade, Quiboloy, the founder of The 
Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name (KOJC) church in the 
Philippines, engaged in serious human rights abuse, including a pattern 
of systemic and pervasive rape of girls as young as 11 years old, as 
well as other physical abuse. In 2021, a federal indictment alleged 
Quiboloy was involved in sex trafficking ``pastorals''--young women 
within the KOJC selected to work as personal assistants for Quiboloy. 
Pastorals were directed to have ``night duty,'' which required them to 
have sexual intercourse with Quiboloy on a determined schedule. 
Quiboloy kept pastorals in various countries, including the Philippines 
and the United States. Quiboloy also subjected pastorals and other KOJC 
members to other forms of physical abuse. Reports indicate Quiboloy 
personally beat victims and knew where to hit them so there would be no 
visible bruising. Pastorals and KOJC members who angered Quiboloy were 
at times sent to ``Upper Six,'' a walled compound used solely for 
punishment.

PRC

     Li Zhenyu: Li was designated on December 9, 2022, 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 the leader's or 
official's tenure. Li is the chairman and general manager of Dalian 
Ocean Fishing Co., Ltd.
     Zhuo Xinrong: Zhuo was designated on December 9, 2022, 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 the leader's or 
official's tenure. Zhuo is the founder, chairman and CEO of Pingtan 
Marine Enterprise, Ltd.
     Dalian Ocean Fishing Co., Ltd.: Dalian Ocean Fishing Co., 
Ltd. (DOF) was designated on December 9, 2022, for being owned or 
controlled by Li. DOF is responsible for the day-to-day operations of 
its fleet. DOF committed abuses against crew members including 
widespread reports of withheld pay, malnutrition, overwork, physical 
assault, deceptive recruiting practices, confiscation of identity 
documents, punishing work, physical abuse, and 10 crew member deaths. 
DOF received almost $8 million annually in PRC government subsidies.
     Pingtan Marine Enterprise, Ltd.: Pingtan Marine 
Enterprise, Ltd. (PME) was designated on December 9, 2022, for being 
owned or controlled by Zhuo. PME operates a large fleet of nearly 100 
fishing vessels and reefer ships. Its vessels have been involved in 
serious human rights abuse and implicated in IUU fishing and other 
illegal activity in Indonesia, East Timor, and Ecuador. Crewmembers 
aboard PME-owned vessels reported instances of forced labor, withheld 
pay and food, physical violence, and gross negligence which led to the 
death of a crew member. In 2021, Pingtan Fishing received a $19 million 
subsidy from the PRC government as an incentive to develop its distant 
water fishing industry.
     Heroic Treasure Limited, Mars Harvest Co. Ltd., Merchant 
Supreme Co. Ltd., Prime Cheer Corporation Ltd., Pingtan Guansheng Ocean 
Fishing Co., Ltd., Fujian Heyue Marine Fishing Development Co., Ltd., 
and Pingtan County Ocean Fishing Group Co., Ltd. along with 157 
vessels: These persons were designated on December 9, 2022, for being 
directly or indirectly owned or controlled by Li, Zhuo, DOF, or PME.
     Fuzhou Honglong Ocean Fishing Co., Ltd: Fuzhou was 
designated on December 9, 2022, for having materially assisted, 
sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support 
for, or goods or services to or in support of, PME.
     Wu Yingjie: Wu was designated on December 9, 2022, for 
being a foreign person who is responsible for or complicit in, or who 
has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse. Wu 
was the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) Party Secretary between 2016 
and 2021. During this timeframe, Wu directed government officials to 
engage in ``stability policies.'' The implementation of these stability 
policies involved serious human rights abuse, including

[[Page 19348]]

physical abuse, arbitrary arrests and detentions in the TAR.
     Zhang Hongbo: Zhang was designated on December 9, 2022, 
for being a leader or official of an entity, including a government 
entity, that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious 
human rights abuse. Zhang has been the director of the Tibetan Public 
Security Bureau (TPSB) since 2018 through at least November 2022. Zhang 
has worked to advance the PRC's goals and policies in the TAR as 
``Tibet's police chief.'' During Zhang's tenure, the TPSB engaged in 
serious human rights abuse, including arbitrary detention and physical 
abuse.

Iran

     Ali Akbar Javidan: Javidan was designated on December 9, 
2022, 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, serious human rights 
abuse relating to his tenure. Javidan is the Law Enforcement Forces of 
the Islamic Republic of Iran (LEF) commander in Iran's Kermanshah 
Province who has direct oversight over forces that have killed 
protesters, including children and the elderly. The LEF was designated 
in 2011 pursuant to E.O. 13553, an Iran human rights authority, for 
being responsible for or complicit in serious human rights abuses in 
Iran since the June 2009 disputed presidential election. The LEF has 
repeatedly used excessive force in response to protests in Iran in 
recent years, reportedly resulting in the deaths of hundreds of unarmed 
protesters. Javidan has made public statements justifying the police 
response to the ongoing protests while valorizing the LEF forces for 
suppressing them. Javidan also publicly vowed to punish so-called moral 
crimes, including the alleged improper wearing of the hijab, during a 
July 2022 roundup of 1,700 people.
     Allah Karam Azizi: Azizi was designated on December 9, 
2022, 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, serious human rights 
abuse relating to his tenure. Azizi is the warden of Iran's notorious 
Rejaee Shahr Prison. Rejaee Shahr Prison is known to house political 
prisoners and those who protest against the regime. Those imprisoned 
there have suffered serious physical abuse at the hands of the prison's 
guards. Azizi has reportedly ordered these abuses.

Visa Restrictions Imposed

    Persons designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 are subject to the entry 
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 2022, the Department took steps to impose visa restrictions, 
when appropriate, on foreign persons involved in certain human rights 
violations andsignificantcorruption pursuant to other authorities, 
including Presidential Proclamations 7750 and 8697, and Section 7031(c) 
of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
Appropriations Act and will continue to identify individuals subject to 
those authorities as appropriate. In addition, the Department continues 
to implement all grounds of inadmissibility in the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (INA), including INA section 212(a)(3)(E) which renders 
applicants ineligible for visas if a consular officer has reason to 
believe that they participated in acts of genocide, torture or 
extrajudicial killings.

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

    The United States recognizes that our sanctions are most impactful 
when implemented in coordination with our foreign partners. In 2022, 
the Administration continueditssuccessful outreach campaign to 
international partners regarding the expansion and use of domestic and 
multilateral anticorruption and human rights sanctions regimes. Over 
thecourse of the reporting period, the Administration coordinated with 
like-minded partnersin pursuing coordinated actions against human 
rights abusers and corrupt actors, particularly in the run up to annual 
International Anti-Corruption Day and Human Rights Day. On December 9, 
the United States designated a total of 25 individuals and entities. 
The United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia joined us with actions 
against targets connected to human rights abuses in Iran. Additionally, 
the United Kingdom's tranche of sanctions under its Global Anti-
Corruption and Global Human Rights regimes included individuals and 
entities previously designated by the United States under Global 
Magnitsky: Vladimir Plathoniuc (designated under E.O. 13818 on October 
26, 2022), Milan Radoicic (designated under E.O. 13818 on Dec 8, 2021), 
and Zvonko Veselinovic (designated under E.O. 13818 on Dec 8, 2021).
    The United States is closely following the development of a 
European Union (EU) anti-corruption sanctions authority and stands 
ready to support EU efforts by sharing insights and offering technical 
support, including regarding evidence collection, addressing legal 
challenges, and evidentiary requirements. The Departments of State and 
the Treasury have, over the last year, shared information, coordinated 
messaging, identified areas of potential collaboration, and provided 
technical assistance to this end. The Administration will continue to 
seek out additional allies and partners, including meaningful input 
from civil society, to leverage all tools at our disposal to deny 
access to the United States and international financial systems and 
deny entry to the United States to all those who engage in serious 
human rights abuse and corruption.

Andrew Self,
Sanctions Officer, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Department 
of State.
[FR Doc. 2023-06749 Filed 3-30-23; 8:45 am]
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