Treasury Sanctions Former Government of Uzbekistan Officials for Serious Human Rights Abuse

WASHINGTON — Today, on the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning three former Government of Uzbekistan officials who were involved in human trafficking and gender-based violence, including physical and sexual violence against children at a state-run orphanage in Urgench, Uzbekistan. All three individuals are being designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse around the world.Concurrently, these individuals are now subject to visa restrictions by the Department of State under Section 7031(c) of the annual Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act.