The United Kingdom issued its first wave of sanctions this month under a new regime targeting those who commit human rights abuses, with the promise of many more sanctions to come.
Enacted on July 6, the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020 is secondary legislation under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. The new human rights regulations put in place sanctions measures “to deter, and provide accountability for, activities which, if carried out by or on behalf of a State within the territory of that State, would amount to a serious violation by that State of an individual’s right to life; right not to be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; right to be free from slavery, not to be held in servitude or required to perform forced or compulsory labor.”
