On 10 December, I imposed asset freezes and travel bans on 11 individuals and an asset freeze on one entity under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020.
This was the third set of designations under this regime since the regulations were laid in July 2020. Criteria for designation under the regime include involvement in violations of the right to life, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and the right to be free from slavery. These designations address serious violations of human rights in Venezuela, Chechnya, Pakistan and Gambia, including extra-judicial killings and torture.
In Venezuela, the sanctions target figures in the Maduro regime who are responsible for killing and torturing protestors, especially during the period from 2016 to 2017. The designation of senior officials in Chechnya holds to account those responsible for the campaign of persecution of Chechnya’s LGBT community which has included extrajudicial executions and torture. In Gambia, the designations include former president Yahya Jammeh, who was responsible for extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, kidnappings, torture; and rape during his tenure as president between 1994 and 2016. We have designated one former senior member of the Pakistani police for his involvement in a series of extrajudicial killings.
The full list of designations is below:
Venezuela
1. Rafael Bastardo: Commander of FAES (Special Action Forces) until 2019;
2. Remigio Ceballos Ichaso: Head of the Strategic Command Operations of the Bolivarian national armed forces (CEOFANB);
3. Fabio Zavarse Pabon: Commander of the National Guard (GNB).
Russian Federation
4. Magomed Daudov: The spokesperson/chairperson of the parliament of the Chechen Republic;
5. Aiub Kataev: Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation in Argun;
6. Apti Alaudinov: Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Chechen Republic and Major General of the Police;
7. Terek Special Rapid Response Unit.
The Gambia
8. Yahya Abdul Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh: former president of the Gambia;
9. Yankuba Badjie: former director general of the Gambian National Intelligence Agency (NIA);
10. Zineb Jammeh: former first lady of the Gambia and wife of Yahya Jammeh.
Pakistan
11. Anwar Ahmad Khan: former senior superintendent of police (SSP) in Malir district, Karachi.
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