[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 19, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12921-12926]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04530]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice: 12685]
Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act Annual Report
SUMMARY: This notice contains the text of the report required by the
Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Self, Senior Advisor, Bureau of
Economic and Business Affairs, Email: SelfAH@state.gov, Phone: (202)
412 -3586.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 12, 2025, the Acting 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) (``the Act''), which is implemented
and built upon by Executive Order 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 consistent with E.O.
13818, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of
the Treasury, submits this report on the implementation of the Act
during the 2024 reporting period.
The Global Magnitsky sanctions program is the United States'
flagship foreign policy tool for promoting accountability for human
rights abuse and corruption globally. The U.S. government implements
and builds upon the Act under E.O. 13818, Blocking the Property of
Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption, issued on
December 20, 2017. In 2024, the United States designated 70 foreign
persons under the Global Magnitsky sanctions program, bringing the
total foreign persons designated under the program to over 740. Global
Magnitsky designations in 2024 represent the most geographically
expansive set of designations to date, including targets in over 19
countries from nearly every major geographic region.
Throughout 2024, the Global Magnitsky sanctions program was used to
advance U.S. interests and foreign policy goals. During the reporting
period, State and Treasury worked together to pursue designations in
furtherance of several anti-corruption and human rights thematic
priorities. These priorities included disrupting transnational
corruption, including enablers of corruption, and promoting
accountability for human rights abuses involving violence against women
and girls, arbitrary detention, and forced labor. Action on these
priorities helped address some of the most pervasive and egregious
manifestations of corruption and human rights abuse around the world.
Additionally, these priorities reflected State and Treasury's
assessment of which corruption and human rights-related typologies
economic sanctions are impactful in addressing.
Corruption-related designations in 2024 included designations
combatting public corruption in Guatemala, Guyana, Paraguay, and
Zimbabwe and designations disrupting a global corruption network
involved in gold smuggling and money laundering. Human rights-related
designations included designations promoting accountability for the
arbitrary detention of a human rights defender in Russia and U.S.
locally employed staff in Yemen; egregious acts of violence against
women and girls in Haiti and Uzbekistan; violent abuses against
peaceful protesters in Georgia; forced labor and human trafficking in
Cambodia; and political repression in Zimbabwe.
Global Magnitsky Designations by Country
In 2024, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the
Secretary of State and the Attorney General, imposed economic sanctions
on the following 70 foreign persons (individuals and entities) pursuant
to E.O. 13818 (presented alphabetically by country):
Cambodia
Ly Yong Phat: Ly Yong Phat (Ly) was designated on
September 12, 2024, for being a foreign person who is responsible for
or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious
human rights abuse, related to the treatment of trafficked workers
subjected to forced labor in online scam centers. Ly is a Cambodian
senator and tycoon who owns L.Y.P. Group, which owns O-Smach Resort.
Concurrent with the designation of Ly, the following entities were
designated:
O-Smach Resort: O-Smach Resort was designated on September
12, 2024, for being a foreign person who is
[[Page 12922]]
responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged
in, serious human rights abuse, related to the treatment of trafficked
workers subjected to forced labor in online scam operations. From 2022-
2024, police investigated, and media publicly reported on, extensive
and systematic serious human rights abuses at O-Smach Resort. Victims
reported being lured to O-Smach Resort with false employment
opportunities, having their phones and passports confiscated upon
arrival, and being forced to advance scam operations. People who called
for help reported being beaten, abused with electric shocks, made to
pay a hefty ransom, or threatened with being sold to other online scam
gangs. There were two reports of victims jumping to their deaths from
buildings within O-Smach Resort.
L.Y.P. Group., LTD: On September 12, 2024, L.Y.P. Group
Co., LTD was designated for being a foreign person who is responsible
for or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious
human rights abuse, related to the treatment of trafficked workers
subjected to forced labor in online scam centers. L.Y.P. Group owns O-
Smach Resort.
Garden City Hotel, Koh Kong Resort, and Phnom Penh Hotel:
These entities were designated on September 12, 2024, for being owned
or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf
of, directly or indirectly, Ly, an individual concurrently designated
pursuant to E.O. 13818.
Georgia
Zviad Kharazishvili: Chief of the Special Task Department
of Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs Zviad Kharazishvili
(Kharazishvili) was designated on September 16, 2024, 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 related to the leader's or
official's tenure, particularly related to undermining fundamental
freedoms, including freedom of expression, in Georgia. On May 28, 2024,
despite weeks of mass protests against the proposed legislation, the
ruling Georgia Dream party passed a law titled ``On Transparency of
Foreign Influence,'' known colloquially as the ``foreign influence
law.'' This law requires nongovernmental organizations and outlets,
including media organizations, that receive more than 20 percent of
their funding from foreign sources to register as organizations
``pursuing the interest of a foreign power.'' During the protests that
occurred prior to passage of the law, security forces from the Ministry
of Internal Affairs' Special Task Department violently targeted
Georgian citizens, political opposition leaders, journalists, and youth
activists who were peacefully expressing their views. This violence was
overseen by the task department's chief, Kharazishvili.
Mileri Lagazauri: Mileri Lagazauri (Lagazauri), Deputy
Chief of the Special Task Department of the Georgia's Ministry of
Internal Affairs, was designated on September 16, 2024, 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 related to the leader's or
official's tenure, particularly related to undermining fundamental
freedoms, including freedom of expression, in Georgia. More
specifically, Lagazauri was associated with brutal crackdowns on
peaceful protesters and political opponents. During the protests that
occurred prior to passage of the foreign influence law, Lagazauri, one
of Kharazishvili's deputies, oversaw violence by security forces from
the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Special Task Department targeting
Georgian citizens, political opposition leaders, journalists, and youth
activists who were peacefully expressing their views.
Konstantine Morgoshia: Konstantine Morgoshia (Morgoshia)
was designated on September 16, 2024, for being a foreign person
responsible or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged
in, serious human rights abuse. Morgoshia is a founder of Alt-Info, a
media company he used to amplify disinformation and spread hate speech
and threats against communities. In 2021 and 2023, he advocated for
violent attacks against people peacefully exercising their fundamental
freedoms of expression and assembly and led hundreds of followers to
break into nongovernmental organization offices and attack journalists
and police officers at the scene.
Zurab Makharadze: Zurab Makharadze (Makharadze) was
designated on September 16, 2024, for being a foreign person
responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly
engaged in, serious human rights abuse. Makharadze is a media
personality associated with Alt-info and was one of the most vocal
supporters of violence against peaceful demonstrators. He directly
encouraged violence against minority groups and journalists online
prior to the violent attacks on marginalized communities and helped to
direct, organize, and fundraise for violence targeting human rights
protesters in 2021 and 2023. During the attacks, he led a group to
remove protesters from in front of the Georgian parliament and then
instructed followers to go with Konstantine Morgoshia to attack
nongovernmental organization offices.
Vakhtang Gomelauri: Georgia's Minister of Internal Affairs
Vakhtang Gomelauri (Gomelauri) was designated on December 19, 2024, 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 related to the
leader's or official's tenure. Gomelauri oversaw the violence
perpetrated by the Special Task Department, including brutal crackdowns
and beatings of peaceful protesters.
Mirza Kezevadze: Deputy Head of the Special Task
Department in Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs Mirza Kezevadze
(Kezevadze) was designated on December 19, 2024, 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 related to the leader's or
official's tenure. In addition to aforementioned individuals, Kezevadze
oversaw the violence perpetrated by the Special Task Department.
Guatemala
Alberto Pimentel Mata: Guatemala's Minister of Energy and
Mining Alberto Pimentel Mata (Pimentel) was designated on January 17,
2024, 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. During Pimentel's time as the energy minister, he engaged
in numerous corruption schemes exploiting the Guatemalan mining sector
through widespread bribery, including schemes related to government
contracts and mining licenses. Additionally, Pimentel reportedly
accepted large monthly payments to facilitate the acquisition of
necessary permits and licenses for a private company operating in the
energy and mining sector of Guatemala. In
[[Page 12923]]
another instance, Pimentel reportedly received a large illicit payment
to begin the consultation process with local communities in El Estor,
Izabal, Guatemala for the benefit of private entities. Separately, he
reportedly requested large bribes of more than $1 million from mining
industry groups in Guatemala in exchange for mining licenses.
Guyana
Mohamed's Enterprise: Mohamed's Enterprise, one of
Guyana's largest gold exporters, was designated on June 11, 2024, for
being a person who has materially assisted, sponsored, or provided
financial, 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 of the extraction of natural resources,
or bribery, that is conducted by a foreign person. Mohamed's Enterprise
bribed customs officials to falsify import and export documents, as
well as to facilitate illicit gold shipments. The organization also
paid bribes to Guyanese government officials to ensure the undisrupted
flow of inbound and outbound personnel that move currency and other
items on behalf of Mohamed's Enterprise and Azruddin Mohamed.
Nazar Mohamed: Nazar Mohamed was designated on June 11,
2024, for being a foreign person who is or has been a leader of
official of Mohamed's Enterprise.
Hadi's World: Hadi's World was designated on June 11,
2024, for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or
purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Mohamed's
Enterprise.
Azruddin Mohamed: Azruddin Mohamed (Azruddin) was
designated on June 11, 2024, for being a person who has materially
assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, 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 of
the extraction of natural resources, or bribery, that is conducted by a
foreign person. Azruddin took over Mohamed's Enterprise and evaded
Guyana's tax on gold exports and defrauded the Guyanese government of
tax revenues by under-declaring its gold exports to Guyanese
authorities. In addition, Azruddin is the principal and owner of Team
Mohamed's Racing Team, a drag racing organization in Guyana.
Team Mohamed's Racing Team: Team Mohamed's Racing Team was
designated on June 11, 2024, for being owned or controlled by, or for
having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or
indirectly, Azruddin.
Mae Thomas: Former Permanent Secretary to Guyana's
Minister of Home Affairs Mae Thomas (Thomas) was designated on June11,
2024, 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. When Thomas was the Permanent Secretary to Guyana's
Minister of Home Affairs, she used her position to offer benefits to
Mohamed's Enterprise and Azruddin, among others, in exchange for cash
payments and high-value gifts. Thomas misused her position to influence
the award of official contract bids and the approval processes for
weapons permits and passports on behalf of Mohamed's Enterprise.
Haiti
Prophane Victor: Former Haitian legislator Prophane Victor
(Victor) was designated on September 25, 2024, 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, an
entity, including any government entity, that has engaged in, or whose
members have engaged in, serious human rights abuse, where the activity
is conducted by a foreign person. Victor started arming young men in
Petite Riviere, Artibonite to secure his control over the area and his
election in 2016. Those men went on to form the Gran Grif gang, which
is currently the largest gang in the Artibonite department and the main
perpetrator of abuses, including sexual violence. Victor materially
supported Gran Grif until 2020. Victor also trafficked weapons to Haiti
and is known to have had relationships with and provided funds to other
gangs throughout Haiti, including rivals of Gran Grif. Victor's gang
affiliations and material support to them contributed to the climate of
terror as the gangs engaged in an array of cruelty, violence, and fight
for control, leaving residents to pay the consequences.
Luckson Elan: Head of the Haiti-based Gran Grif gang
Luckson Elan (Elan) was designated on September 25, 2024, for being a
foreign person who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly
or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse, and for being or
having 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 the leader's or official's tenure. Elan
is the current head of the Gran Grif gang and is responsible for
serious human rights abuse including kidnapping, murder, beating, and
raping of women and children, as well as looting, destruction,
extortion, hijacking, and stealing crops and livestock in Haiti.
Paraguay
Tabacalera del Este S.A.: Tabacalera del Este S.A.
(Tabesa) was designated on August 6, 2024, for having materially
assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological
support for, or goods or services to or in support of former Paraguayan
president Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara (Cartes), a person whose property
and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13818. OFAC
previously identified Tabesa on OFAC's Specially Designated National
and Blocked Persons (SDN) List as an entity in which Cartes owned,
directly or indirectly, a 50 percent or greater interest. While Cartes
no longer owns Tabesa following a sales agreement to acquire Carte's
shares in the company, Tabesa made--and planned to continue making--
payments worth millions of dollars to Cartes, despite Cartes's
designation by OFAC.
Russia
Olesya Mendeleeva: Russian judge Olesya Mendeleeva
(Mendeleeva) was designated on December 31, 2024, for being a foreign
person who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or
indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse. In July 2022,
Mendeleeva sentenced Alexei Gorinov, a Moscow city councilor, public
defender, and human rights activist, to seven years in prison for
voicing opposition to the war against Ukraine. Gorinov suffered
physical abuse and denial of medical treatment in detention. Known for
handing down long and harsh sentences, Mendeleeva convicted Gorinov for
``knowingly disseminating false information about the Russian
military'' after he accurately called Russia's invasion of Ukraine a
``war,'' becoming the first judge in Russia to find a defendant guilty
of such a charge. While awaiting trial, Gorinov fell ill, and
Mendeleeva repeatedly
[[Page 12924]]
refused to release him from pre-trial custody to seek treatment. During
the trial, Mendeleeva refused to consider the defense witnesses'
testimonies and reasoned that Gorinov's ``reformation'' would be
impossible without imprisonment.
Uzbekistan
Yulduz Khudaiberganova: Yulduz Khudaiberganova
(Khudaiberganova), a former orphanage director, was designated on the
International Day of the Abolition of Slavery, December 2, 2024, for
being a foreign person responsible for or complicit in, or having
directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse,
particularly her involvement in human trafficking and violence against
women and girls, including physical and sexual violence against
children at a state-run orphanage in Urgench, Uzbekistan. For at least
10 months, Khudaiberganova forced at least three underage girls to
engage in sexual acts with at least six different men in exchange for
funds and goods. Khudaiberganova used various coercive tactics to
ensure the girls' compliance, including physical beatings, threats,
starvation, and isolation from their peers.
Aybek Masharipov: Aybek Masharipov (Masharipov), former
head of the Khorezm Regional Justice Department, was designated on the
International Day of the Abolition of Slavery, December 2, 2024, for
being a foreign person responsible for or complicit in, or having
directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse,
particularly his involvement in human trafficking and violence against
women and girls, including physical and sexual violence against
children at a state-run orphanage in Urgench, Uzbekistan. Masharipov
demanded sexual access to orphans in compensation for ``gifts'' he
provided to the orphanage. Masharipov also repeatedly visited the
orphanage in order to prey upon the young girls.
Anvar Kuryazov: Anvar Kuryazov (Kuryazov), former head of
the District Emergency Department, was designated on the International
Day for the Abolition of Slavery, December 2, 2024, for being a foreign
person responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or
indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse, particularly his
involvement in human trafficking and violence against women and girls,
including physical and sexual violence against children at a state-run
orphanage in Urgench, Uzbekistan. Kuryazov demanded sexual access to
orphans in compensation for ``gifts'' he provided to the orphanage.
Kuryazov also repeatedly visited the orphanage in order to prey upon
the young girls.
Yemen
Houthi National Committee for Prisoner's Affairs and
Abdulqader Al-Murtadha: On December 9, 2024, the Houthi National
Committee for Prisoner's Affairs (HNCPA) and its leader, Abdulqader Al-
Murtadha (Al-Murtadha), were designated for being foreign persons who
are responsible for or complicit in, or have directly or indirectly
engaged in, serious human rights abuse. Al-Murtadha was also designated
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. The HNCPA operates Houthi prisons in Yemen. At one
of the prisons, known as the Exchange House in Sana'a, prisoners were
systematically subjected to torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman,
or degrading treatment or punishment by the prison's staff. Detainees
included current and former locally employed U.S. embassy staff, UN
staff, humanitarian workers, and journalists; many were reported to be
arbitrarily detained, and some of the prisoners are minors. Prison
officials engaged in systematic psychological and physical cruelty and
punishment, including mock executions, beatings, and electrocution,
among other abuses. Prison officials denied prisoners adequate medical
care; as a result, some prisoners have permanent disabilities, and some
have reportedly died.
Zimbabwe
Emmerson Mnangagwa: Emmerson Mnangagwa (Mnangagwa), the
President of Zimbabwe, was designated on March 4, 2024, 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. Mnangagwa was also designated 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 the leader's or official's
tenure. Mnangagwa is involved in corrupt activities, in particular
those relating to gold and diamonds smuggling networks. Mnangagwa
provides a protective shield to smugglers to operate in Zimbabwe and
has directed Zimbabwean officials to facilitate the sale of gold and
diamonds in illicit markets, taking bribes in exchange for his
services. Mnangagwa also oversees Zimbabwe's security services, which
have violently repressed political opponents and civil society groups.
Auxillia Mnangagwa: Auxillia Mnangagwa (Auxillia), the
First Lady of Zimbabwe, was designated on March 4, 2024, for being 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. Auxillia facilitated her
husband's corrupt activities.
Kudakwashe Regimond Tagwirei: Zimbabwean businessman
Kudakwashe Regimond Tagwirei (Tagwirei) was designated on March 4,
2024, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial,
material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in
support of corruption, and the transfer or the facilitation of the
transfer of proceeds of corruption. President Mnangagwa benefits from
the corrupt network of Zimbabwean businessman Tagwirei. Tagwirei is one
of the sole beneficial owners of Sakunda Holdings.
Sakunda Holdings: Sakunda Holdings was designated on March
4, 2024, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided
financial material, or technological support for, or goods or services
to or in support of corruption, and for being owned or controlled by,
or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of Tagwirei.
Sandra Mpunga: Sandra Mpunga (Mpunga), Tagwirei's wife,
was designated on March 4, 2024, for having acted or purported to act
for or on behalf of Sakunda Holdings. Mpunga is one of the sole
beneficial owners of Sakunda Holdings.
Fossil Agro: Fossil Agro was designated on March 4, 2024,
for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial,
material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in
support of Sakunda Holdings.
Obey Chimuka: Obey Chimuka (Chimuka) was designated on
March 4, 2024, for being owned or controlled by,
[[Page 12925]]
or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, Tagwirei.
Chimuka also sits on the board and serves as director of several
Tagwirei-owned companies.
Fossil Contracting: Fossil Contracting was designated on
March 4, 2024, for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or
purported to act for or on behalf of, Chimuka. Chimuka owns Fossil
Contracting, which received Government of Zimbabwe contracts that
facilitated acts of corruption.
Constantino Chiwenga: Constantino Chiwenga (Chiwenga) was
designated on March 4, 2024, 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 the leader's or official's tenure. Under
the leadership of Mnangagwa and Zimbabwe's First Vice-President
Chiwenga, Zimbabwe's security forces have engaged in the violent
repression of political activists and civil society organizations.
Mnangagwa's reelection was marred by fraud, the deployment of groups
who intimidated voters, and the use of government-organized ``ferret
teams.'' Since the election, the ferret teams, comprising intelligence,
police, and military personnel, were likely involved in the abduction
of up to 12 individuals associated with civil society organizations or
opposition parties, including Tapfumanei Masaya, who was found dead on
November 13, 2023. Abductees reported being pushed into vehicles,
beaten and stripped naked, injected with unknown substances, threatened
with retaliation, and later dumped on the roadside outside of Harare.
In 2019, ferret teams reportedly abducted and assaulted more than 50
people. Opposition supporters also claimed to have been tortured by
security officials, including being stripped, beaten, and whipped at a
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) station.
Oppah Muchinguri: Oppah Muchinguri (Muchinguri) was
designated on March 4, 2024, 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 the leader's or official's tenure. Muchinguri
is responsible for overseeing Zimbabwe's Defense Forces and is the
chair of the national Joint Operation Command. Under her leadership,
Zimbabwe's military personnel have engaged in violent repression.
Godwin Matanga: Godwin Matanga (Matanga) was designated on
March 4, 2024, for being a foreign person who is or has been a leader
or official of an entity that has, or whose members have, engaged in
serious human rights abuse relating to the leader's or official's
tenure. Matanga was the Commissioner-General of the ZRP. Under his
leadership, ZRP members participated in ferret team activities.
Stephen Mutamba: Stephen Mutamba (Mutamba) was designated
on March 4, 2024, 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 the leader's or official's tenure. Mutamba has been a
Deputy Commissioner-General of the ZRP since at least 2019. Under his
leadership, ZRP members have engaged in the violent oppression of
political opposition.
Walter Tapfumaneyi: Walter Tapfumaneyi (Tapfumaneyi) was
designated on March 4, 2024, 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 the leader's or official's tenure.
Tapfumaneyi has been the Deputy Director General of Zimbabwe's Central
Intelligence Organization (CIO) since 2020. He reportedly answered
directly to Mnangagwa and led the campaign to disrupt the 2023
electoral process through his leadership of ruling party-affiliated
groups. He was also alleged to have been personally involved in past
kidnappings.
Owen Ncube: Owen Ncube (Ncube) was designated on March 4,
2024, for being a foreign person that is responsible for or complicit
in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights
abuse. Ncube was Zimbabwe's Minister of State Security from 2018 to
2022, during which time he ordered security services to identify,
abduct, and mistreat individuals assessed to be supporters of a
Zimbabwean opposition group. He was recently reappointed to government
as the Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs. He was
reported to lead a notoriously violent group that was alleged to be
responsible for attacks and killings around Kwekwe, Zimbabwe.
Global Corruption Network
On December 9, 2024, 28 individuals and entities were sanctioned
for their involvement in a global gold smuggling and money laundering
network based in Zimbabwe.
The global network led by Kenyan individual Kamlesh
Mansukhlal Damji Pattni (Pattni) facilitated illicit activities by
bribing officials, deploying trusted supporters to mask ownership, and
weaving a global web of businesses to hide the illicit activities.
Pattni was designated for having materially assisted, sponsored, or
provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or
services to or in support ofcorruption, 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. This fraudulent scheme robbed Zimbabwe's
citizens of the benefit of those natural resources while enriching
corrupt government officials and criminal actors. The designation of
the Pattni's web of supporters and companies illustrate how illicit
activity based in Zimbabwe spread across multiple countries, using a
web of trusted supporters, and bribing government officials to concoct
a complex corruption scheme. Pattni's network has spread across
multiple countries, reflecting the global nature of corruption. More
recently, Pattni and several of his supporters have looked to establish
new operations in other resource-rich countries, further compounding
the threat of his illicit network poses to the U.S. and global
financial systems. In addition to Pattni, the following entities and
individuals below were designated:
[ssquf] Mukesh Manuskhlal Vaya, Kenyan national
[ssquf] Swetang Sinha, Indian national
[ssquf] Rahul Sood, Indian national
[ssquf] Mishaal Hitesh Pattni, Kenyan national
[ssquf] Sanjay Keshavji Vaya, Kenyan national
[ssquf] Raj Vaya Sanjay, Kenyan national
[ssquf] David Paul Crosby, British national
[ssquf] Dmytro Abakumov, Ukrainian national
[ssquf] Sun Multinational DMCC, United Arab Emirates
[ssquf] Marwa Investments Limited, United Arab Emirates
[ssquf] Fiza Gold and Bullion Trading L.L.C., United Arab Emirates
[ssquf] Golden Luxury Jewellery Trading L.L.C., United Arab Emirates
[ssquf] Memories Golden Jewellery L.L.C., United Arab Emirates
[ssquf] Ruhmeer Diamonds DMCC, United Arab Emirates
[ssquf] Sun Star Travel & Tourism L.L.C., United Arab Emirates
[ssquf] Sahara Petroleum PTE. LTD., Singapore
[[Page 12926]]
[ssquf] Precious Bullion DMCC, United Arab Emirates
[ssquf] Rubini Investment Group Limited, British Virgin Islands/United
Arab Emirates
[ssquf] Samaria Holdings Limited, United Arab Emirates
[ssquf] Suzan General Trading JLT, United Arab Emirates
[ssquf] Manurama Limited, Kenya
[ssquf] Suzan General Trading (PVT) LTD, Zimbabwe
[ssquf] Skorus Investments (PVT) LTD, Zimbabwe
[ssquf] Sakhara Petroleum OSOO, Kyrgyzstan
[ssquf] Mirdk Fyuels OSOO, Kyrgyzstan
[ssquf] Royal Sona OSOO, Kyrgyzstan
[ssquf] Suprim Ef Iks OSOO, Kyrgyzstan
VISA Restrictions Imposed
Persons designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 are subject to the entry
restrictions articulated in section two, unless an exception applies.
Section two provides that the entry of persons designated under section
one of the order is suspended pursuant to Presidential Proclamation
8693.
In 2024, the Department took steps to impose visa restrictions,
when appropriate, on foreign persons involved in certain human rights
violations and significant corruption pursuant to other authorities,
including Presidential Proclamation 7750 and Section 7031(c) of the
Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Appropriations Act. The Department will continue to identify
individuals subject to those authorities as appropriate, including but
not limited to individuals designated under the Global Magnitsky
program. In addition, the Department continues to implement all grounds
of inadmissibility in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA),
including INA section 212(a)(3)(C).
Coordinated Actions With Partners and Allies
The United States recognizes that our sanctions are most impactful
when implemented in coordination with our foreign partners. Since the
issuance of E.O. 13818, the United States has encouraged likeminded
partners to develop their own global human rights and anti-corruption
sanctions programs. In 2024, the United States prioritized coordinated
sanctions actions with partners and allies, including those with
similar authorities, namely Australia, Canada, the European Union, and
the United Kingdom. Additionally, the United States supported persons
designated under the Global Magnitsky sanctions program for designation
at the United Nations.
Canada
On December 9, 2024, Canada sanctioned PRC officials Zhang
Hongbo, Shohrat Zakir, Erken Tuniyaz, Chen Quanguo, and Huo Liujun for
human rights abuses, including in Xinjiang and Tibet. These
designations reinforced prior designations of these individuals by the
United States in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
On June 20, 2024, Canada sanctioned Haitian gang leader,
Luckson Elan. Elan was subsequently designated by the United States on
September 25, 2024.
United Kingdom
On September 30, 2024, the UK sanctioned former member of
Haiti's parliament, Prophane Victor, reinforcing the prior designation
of Victor by the United States on September 25, 2024.
On October 30, 2024, the UK sanctioned Haitian gang
leader, Luckson Elan, reinforcing the prior designation of Elan by the
United States on September 25, 2024.
On December 9, 2024, the UK sanctioned Kenyan individual
Kamlesh Pattni concurrently with the United States.
On December 19, 2024, the UK sanctioned Georgian Minister
of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri concurrently with the United
States. Additionally, the UK sanctioned Georgian Special Task
Department Chief Zviad Kharazishvili and Georgian Special Task
Department Deputy Mileri Lagazauri, reinforcing the prior designations
of Kharazishvili and Lagazauri by the United States on September 16,
2024.
United Nations
On September 25, 2024, concurrent with their designation
under E.O. 13818, the United States co-sponsored the designation of
former member of Haiti's parliament, Prophane Victor, and leader of the
Gran Grif gang, Luckson Elan, for designation under the UN Haiti
sanctions regime.
Andrew H. Self,
Senior Advisor, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Department of
State.
[FR Doc. 2025-04530 Filed 3-18-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-07-P