BREAKING: UK Announces Global Human Rights Sanctions Program

BREAKING:

UK Announces Groundbreaking New Global Human Rights Sanctions Program
Experts from The Sentry Available for Comment and Analysis

July 6, 2020 – Today, Dominic Raab, the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will announce the launch of the UK’s Global Human Rights sanctions regime. This regime will, for the first time, allow the UK to act independently in sanctioning individuals for alleged human rights abuses including asset freezes and travel bans.

Hilary Mossberg, Director of Illicit Finance Policy at The Sentry, said: “For years, abusers of human rights have been using the UK financial system to launder profits generated from these violations. Today, the UK has made clear that persons perpetrating and profiting from serious human rights violations will no longer be able to continue their dirty business as usual. We commend the work of the FCO and Foreign Secretary Raab and urge the UK government to include corruption as an additional criteria as today human rights abuses are so often fueled by profiteering and graft.”

Denisse Rudich, Senior Advisor for The Sentry to the UK, said: “The UK’s newly announced Global Human Rights sanctions regime is unique in the world in that it not only targets those who commit human rights abuses but also those who profit from them. We welcome the UK’s action to bring hard-hitting sanctions aimed at those most responsible for massive human rights suffering, laying the foundations for action against regimes whose ruling elite endorse and encourage such atrocities.”

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ABOUT THE SENTRY

The Sentry is an investigative and policy team that follows the dirty money connected to African war criminals and transnational war profiteers and seeks to shut those benefiting from violence out of the international financial system. By disrupting the cost-benefit calculations of those who hijack governments for self-enrichment in East and Central Africa, the deadliest war zone globally since World War II, we seek to counter the main drivers of conflict and create new leverage for peace, human rights, and good governance. The Sentry is composed of financial investigators, international human rights lawyers, and regional experts, as well as former law enforcement agents, intelligence officers, policymakers, investigative journalists, and banking professionals. Co-founded by George Clooney and John Prendergast, The Sentry is a flagship initiative and strategic partner of the Clooney Foundation for Justice.

Learn more at www.TheSentry.org