Regime on Serious Human Rights Violations and Abuses

• Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/430 25 February 2023 implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1998 concerning restrictive measures against serious human rights violations and abuses

On 8 December 2020, in the Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union regarding the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, the Union and its Member States reaffirmed their strong commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. The Union remains deeply concerned about serious human rights violations and abuses, such as torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings, committed by the Wagner Group in several countries, including Ukraine, Libya, the Central African Republic (CAR), Mali and Sudan.

In this context, eight persons and seven entities should be included in the list of natural persons, legal persons, entities and bodies subject to restrictive measures in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2020/1998. Regulation (EU) 2020/1998 has therefore been amended accordingly.

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Please be reminded that all EU/UN sanctions are directly applicable under Maltese law under the National Interest (Enabling Powers) Act, Cap 365 of the Laws of Malta as linked here.

Should any of your clients be a person or entity who is listed under UN/EU or national sanctions or who is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by a listed person or entity, the freezing measures mentioned under Article 17 of the Act apply.

The Sanctions Monitoring Board is to be informed immediately of the actions that have been taken in relation to the assets of such listed persons.

The Sanctions Monitoring Board may be contacted on sanctions.mfet@gov.mt on any issue relating to sanctions.

Please find below links to the:

EU Financial Sanctions Database

Consolidated UN Sanctions List

EU Sanctions Map

Sanctions Monitoring Board