US, Canada Issue New Belarus Sanctions

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on April 15 issued new sanctions against 12 entities and 10 people for helping Belarus evade U.S. sanctions and support Russia’s “illegal” invasion of Ukraine.

Among the newly sanctioned entities is Iraq-based Black Shield Company for General Trading LLC, which has bought and sold arms from designated Belarusian defense company Kidma Tech OJSC. OFAC also revealed that DOJ charged two Black Shield principals with conspiring to unlawfully export weapons and ammunition from the U.S. to Sudan.

Separately, Global Affairs Canada announced April 15 it is imposing economic situations on 21 current and former senior government officials for human rights violations in Belarus. "These individuals have been involved or complicit in arbitrary arrests and detentions, brutality, intimidation and excessive use of force against Belarusians who protested the fraudulent [2020 presidential] election, as well as their ill treatment once they were falsely tried, sentenced and imprisoned," the department said.