US Targets 5 Dominican Entities, 2 Persons With Global Magnitsky Act Sanctions

WASHINGTON(Sputnik) - The United States has imposed sanctions on a Dominican Republic senator, a Cambodian general and five entities, citing a human rights law known as the Magnitsky Act, the US Department of the Treasury said in a press release on Tuesday.

"The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Dominican Republic Senator Felix Ramon Bautista Rosario for engaging in corrupt acts, including in relation to reconstruction efforts in Haiti, and Cambodian General Hing Bun Hieng for being the leader of an entity involved in serious human rights abuses," the release stated.

OFAC also designated five entities owned or controlled by Bautista, the release said.

"Senator Bautista used his position to engage in corruption, including profiting off of humanitarian efforts related to rebuilding Haiti," the release said.

Moreover, the Treasury Department said Gen. Bun Hieng "commanded a Cambodian unit that engaged in a series of human rights abuses, and was personally implicated in attacks against a number of individuals, including a US citizen."

The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of 2016 requires OFAC to seize assets and prevent US nationals from doing business with people and entities, whenever the president finds human rights abuses serious enough to destabilize international political and economic systems, according to the release.