The US has sanctioned one individual and one entity involved in abuses against prisoners held in Houthi-run prisons in Yemen.
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also announced that it has further sanctioned another individual providing support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The US announced the sanctions in recognition of International Human Rights Day (IHRD) and highlighted other human rights-related actions taken over the last year.
IHRD is observed annually on December 10 in commemoration of the United Nations’ adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on that day in 1948.
The US also announced steps to impose visa restrictions on dozens of individuals pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and designated one official under Section 7031(c) of the annual Appropriations Act for involvement in a gross violation of human rights.
“The United States is strongly committed to promoting respect for human rights, and Treasury is proud of its longstanding use of our tools for this purpose,” said Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen.
“The Office of Foreign Funds Control, as OFAC was formerly known, was established during World War II to prevent the Nazi regime from leveraging the assets of occupied countries to expand the war and further its systematic campaign of atrocities. We are proud to continue to build on this important legacy of shining a light on instances of serious human rights abuse.”
Since January 2024, OFAC has leveraged a multiple sanctions programme to designate more than 100 individuals and entities associated with human rights abuse across more than 20 jurisdictions.
The department noted that the actions have targeted an array of activities, including national and transnational repression, forced disappearances and hostage taking, gender-based violence, human trafficking, including forced labour, and human rights abuse perpetrated by terrorist and criminal organisations.
It noted that since 2021, Treasury has designated more than 500 individuals and entities for human rights abuse and related activities, drawing on numerous Treasury tools and authorities, including Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
Targeting political repression was a key theme for OFAC in 2024, with related actions in Burma, the country of Georgia, Iran, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
OFAC began the year with the designations of an international assassination network led by a narcotrafficker operating at the direction of the Iranian government in January and, in March, the designation of a commercial spyware consortium that distributed spyware technology that was used to target Americans.