Brussels, 20 July 2023
Today, the Council imposed restrictive measures against 18 individuals and 5 entities under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, because of their responsibility for serious human rights violations and abuses in Afghanistan, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Ukraine and Russia.
Six individuals were listed over various forms of sexual and gender-based violence. These include the acting Taliban Ministers of Education and Justice and the acting Taliban Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan because of their role in depriving Afghan girls and women of their right to education, access to justice and equal treatment between men and women. The measures also target a senior officer of the South Sudanese armed forces, a leading figure of the Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central African Republic, and a commander of the 30th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian armed forces because they committed widespread attacks against the civilian population in the countries where they operated, which systematically included sexual and gender-based violence, including as a means to terrorise the population.
The EU also imposed restrictive measures against twelve other individuals and five entities responsible for serious human rights violations in Russia. The measures target those who have misused facial recognition technology for massive arbitrary arrests in Russia as well as the politically motivated rulings against the opposition politicians, democracy activists and outspoken Kremlin critics Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Murza.
These listings include various bodies linked to the City of Moscow, a minister in the government of the city and a deputy mayor, three companies producing or organising tenders for the supply of facial recognition systems. The listings also target individuals responsible for running the penal colony where Alexei Navalny has been held since his politically motivated sentencing in March 2022 and an officer of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) personally involved in an attempt to assassinate Vladimir Kara-Murza through the use of a neurotoxin.
Altogether, EU restrictive measures under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime now apply to a total of 61 individuals and 20 entities. Those designated are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. Natural persons are additionally subject to a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through EU territories.
In its conclusions of 14 November 2022, the Council expressed concern about the disproportionate effect that armed conflicts continue to have on women and girls worldwide, as well as the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence including conflict-related sexual violence, offline and online. The Council committed to enhanced efforts to counter such violence in order to ensure full accountability and to combat impunity.
The EU condemns the continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in Russia. Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine has amplified internal repression in Russia, drastically limiting the freedom of opinion and expression and media freedom and introducing war censorship. The EU continues to strongly condemn the severe expansion of restrictive legislation and systematic repression against civil society and human rights defenders, as well as unabated crackdown on independent media, individual journalists, political opposition members and other critical voices.
The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Background
On 7 December 2020, the Council established a Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime which applies to acts such as genocide, crimes against humanity and other serious human rights violations or abuses (e.g. torture, slavery, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests or detentions). The EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime underscores the EU’s determination to enhance its role in addressing serious human rights violations and abuses worldwide. Realising the effective enjoyment of human rights by everyone is a strategic goal of the Union. Respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights are fundamental values of the Union and its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
- Official Journal of the EU, 20 July 2023 (including a list of the sanctioned individuals and entities)
- EU adopts a global human rights sanctions regime (press release, 7 December 2020)
Source – EU Council