
Day: January 11, 2023
OFAC NEW AND UPDATED IRAN SANCTIONS FAQ
On 11 January, OFAC advised that it had published a new FAQ about changes to a General License to further support the provision of communication tools to ordinary Iranians and assist in their efforts to resist repressive internet censorship and surveillance tools deployed by the Iranian government. It also issued updated versions of several existing FAQ.
https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/faqs/1110
https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/recent-actions/20230111
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

DEATH, TAXES, AND EXTORTION: WHY LATIN AMERICAN COMPANIES KEEP PAYING UP
On 10 January, an article from Insight Crime says that a new report has delved into the inner workings of extortion techniques across Latin America, showing the constant innovation needed to ensure numerous businesses pay out fees to criminal groups with little complaint. The report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime showed how gangs practicing extortion, as well as copycats, are continually trying out new techniques to guarantee that payments keep coming, and the COVID-19 pandemic intensified this evolution.
https://insightcrime.org/news/taxes-death-extortion-latin-america-pay-up/
https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Criminal-innovators-English-web.pdf
CANADA IMPOSES SANCTIONS ON EX-PRESIDENTS OF SRI LANKA
On 11 January, WION and others reported that Canada has imposed sanctions on 4 Sri Lankans including former presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksafor committing what Canada called “gross and systematic violations of human rights” during the country’s civil war.
https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/canada-imposes-sanctions-on-ex-presidents-of-sri-lanka-551441
SRI LANKA SUMMONS CANADIAN DIPLOMAT OVER SANCTIONS ON RAJAPAKSA BROTHERS
On 11 January, Devdiscourse reported that Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry summoned Canada’s top diplomat and expressed its displeasure over his country’s decision to impose ”unilateral sanctions” on its 4 citizens, including 2 former Presidents.