Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List explained

The Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, also known as the SDN List, is a United States government sanctions/embargo measure targeting U.S.-designated terrorists, officials and beneficiaries of certain authoritarian regimes, and international criminals (e.g. drug traffickers). The list is managed by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).^[1] When individuals are added to the list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN), their U.S. assets are blocked. Moreover, their names are added to automated screening systems used by banks in the United States and many foreign countries, making it difficult for them to open or hold accounts, transfer money, or transact properties internationally.^[2] Any individual or entity that provides support related to terrorism, drug trafficking or unauthorized military use to any person or entity appearing on the SDN list risks being penalized under the USA PATRIOT Act.^[3]

The SDN list contains tens of thousands^[4] of companies, organizations, and individuals who have been identified as posing a threat to U.S. national security and foreign and economic policy.^[5] All persons and businesses within the U.S. are prohibited from doing business with blacklisted individuals or are subject to sanctions for violating the law. Financial sanctions include a ban on investment in the stock of the blacklisted individuals and companies in which the blacklisted individuals have a controlling interest, and a ban on new debt (including all securities such as bonds, credits, bills of exchange, etc.) with a maturity of more than 90 days. After the 2014 annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, the U.S. blacklisted a number of Russian and Crimean companies for sanctions.^[6] Almost every country is represented on the list.^[7]

Notable sanctioned persons

Belarus

• Alexander Lukashenko – President of the Republic of Belarus
  • Mikalai Karpiankou – Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Natallia Eismant – Press secretary of Alexander Lukashenko
• Viktor Khrenin – Minister of Defense^[8]

China

• Chen Quanguo – Chinese Communist Party 19th Politburo member
• Zhang Chunxian - Chinese Communist Party 18th Politburo member
• Wang Chen – Chinese Communist Party 19th Politburo member
• Zhang Xiaoming – Former deputy director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office
• You Quan – Former Head of CCP's United Front Work Department
• Li Shangfu – Former State Councilor and Minister of National Defence
• Cai Dafeng - Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
• Cao Jianming - Former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
• Chen Zhu - Former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
• Padma Choling - Former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
• Ding Zhongli - Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
• Hao Mingjin - Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
• Arken Imirbaki - Former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
• Ji Bingxuan - Former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
• Shen Yueyue - Former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
• Wan Exiang - Former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
• Wang Dongming - Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
• Wu Weihua - Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
• Zhu Hailun - Former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
• Wang Mingshan - Secretary of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Political and Legal Affairs Commission
• Huo Liujun - Former Communist Party Secretary of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Public Security Department

Hong Kong SAR

• Carrie Lam – Former Chief Executive of Hong Kong
• Chris Tang – Secretary for Security
• Teresa Cheng – Former Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong
• John Lee – Chief Executive of Hong Kong

Macau SAR

• Wan Kuok-koi – Former leader of the Macau gang 14K^[9]

Iran

• Esmail Qaani – Commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps^[10]
• Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – Supreme Leader of Iran^[11]
• Mohammad Javad Zarif – Former foreign minister of Iran^[12]
• Amir Ali Hajizadeh – Commander of Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps^[13]
• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – Former President of Iran^[14]

Libya

• Saif al-Islam Gaddafi – Son of Muammar Gaddafi, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya^[15]

North Korea

• Kim Yong-chol – Head of the United Front Department ^[16]

North Macedonia

• Sašo Mijalkov – Former Administration for Security and Counterintelligence of Republic of North Macedonia^[17]
• Nikola Gruevski – Former Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia
• Stevčo Jakimovski from Podrzi Konj - Leader of the Citizen Option for Macedonia and a mayor of the Karpoš Municipality and a former member of the Social Democratic Union.

Russia

• Vladimir Putin – President of the Russian Federation.^[18]
• Dmitry Medvedev – Former President of the Russian Federation.^[19]
• Petr Fradkov – Russian economist and banker serving as the chairman and CEO of Promsvyazbank and the general director of the Russian Export Center.^[20]
• Valery Gerasimov – current Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.^[21]
• Sergei Ivanov – Russian senior official and politician who has served as the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on the Issues of Environmental Activities, Ecology and Transport since 12 August 2016.^[8]
• Vladimir Kiriyenko – chairman and CEO of VK (formerly known as Mail.ru Group)^{[22] [20]}
• Sergei Lavrov – Russian diplomat and politician who has served as the Foreign Minister of Russia since 2004.^[21]
• Nikolai Patrushev – Russian politician, security officer and intelligence officer. He served as Director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), from 1999 to 2008, and he has been Secretary of the Security Council of Russia since 2008.^{[23] [21]}
• Igor Sechin – Russian oligarch and a government official, considered a close ally and "de facto deputy" of Vladimir Putin.^{[24] [21]}
• Sergei Shoigu – General of the Army who serves as Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Defense of the CIS since 2012.^[21]
• Tina Kandelaki – Russian-Georgian journalist, Deputy CEO of Gazprom Media, acting director of Russian federal TV channel TNT; alongside Kandelaki, her husband Vasily Brovko has also been added to the list.
• Alexander Dugin – Ultranationalist politician and leader of the Eurasia Party^{[25] [20]}
• Igor Girkin – Russian army veteran and former Minister of Defence of the Donetsk People's Republic, charged by Dutch prosecutors for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17^{[26] [20]}

Syria

• Bashar al Assad – President of Syrian Arab Republic^[27]
• Asma al Assad – First Lady of Syria^[28]
• Maher al Assad – General and commander of the Republican Guard^[29]

Venezuela

• Nicolás Maduro – President of Venezuela^[30]
• Delcy Rodríguez – Vice President of Venezuela^[31]
• Tareck El Aissami – Minister of Petroleum (Venezuela)^[32]

Other

• Marinko Čavara – Former President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina^[33]
• Svetozar Marović – Former President of Serbia and Montenegro^[17]
• Milorad Dodik – President of Republika Srpska^[34]
• Ali Ahmed Karti – Former foreign minister of Sudan^[35]
• Sadio Camara – Defence Minister of Mali^[36]
• Falih Al-Fayyadh – Chairman of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces and former National Security Advisor^[37]

Former (deceased)

• Anwar al-Awlaki^[38] – (until 2011) – American-born al-Qaeda leader, killed by drone strike in Yemen
• Bi Sidi Souleymane – (until 2021) Former leader of the Central African Republic-based militia group Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation
• Ebrahim Raisi – (until 2024) Former President of Iran^[39]
• Saddam Hussein – (until 2006) Former President of Iraq^[40]
• Slobodan Milošević – (until 2006) Former President of Serbia/Serbia and Montenegro (Yugoslavia)
• Qasem Soleimani – (until 2020) Former Commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps^[41]
• Muammar Gaddafi – (until 2011) Former Leader of Libya^[42]
• Yevgeny Prigozhin – (until 2023) Russian tycoon and founder of Wagner Group, a private mercenary army.^[43]

Former (alive)

• Fatou Bensouda – (until 2021) Former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, sanctioned for investigating allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan, Poland, Romania and Lithuania committed by the United States Armed Forces and the Central Intelligence Agency.^{[44] [45]}

External links

• SDN List Search

Notes and References

1. Web site: Keine PCs für Vereine – wegen US-Blacklist. rob. https://archive.today/20210904070441/https://www.20min.ch/story/keine-pcs-fuer-vereine-wegen-us-blacklist-406956000005. 2021-09-04. de. 20 Minuten. 2017-11-23. 2017-11-23. live.
2. Web site: Knights . Michael . 6 December 2019 . Punishing Iran’s Triggermen in Iraq: Opening Moves in a Long Campaign . The Washington Institute.
3. Web site: November 8, 2022 . What is a Specially Designated National (SDN)? . sanctions.io.
4. https://www.treasury.gov/ofac/downloads/sdnlist.pdf Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List
5. Web site: Basel: Keine PCs für Vereine – wegen US-Blacklist. Nov 23, 2017. 20 Minuten. Sep 25, 2020.
6. Web site: 20 December 2016 . U.S. sanctions companies, people over Russia actions in Ukraine . Reuters.
7. https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-creates-its-own-digital-currency-a-first-for-major-economy-11617634118 Areddy, James T. (5 April 2021). "China Creates its Own Digital Currency, a First for Major Economy".Wall Street Journal website. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
8. Web site: Russia-related Designations; Belarus Designations; Issuance of Russia-related Directive 2 and 3; Issuance of Russia-related and Belarus General Licenses; Publication of new and updated Frequently Asked Questions. U.S. Department of the Treasury.
9. News: 2020-12-11 . 制裁崩牙駒｜美宣佈制裁澳門江湖猛人尹國駒 藉一帶一路擴張東南亞犯罪活動 . zh . Apple Daily . dead . 2020-12-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210113020757/https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20201209/BWTQWW54HJD3ZLBZDTW7TRBHZU/ . 2021-01-13.
10. Web site: 3 January 2020 . Esmail Qaani, the new leader of Iran's Quds Force . Fox News.
11. Web site: June 24, 2019 . Issuance of Executive Order of June 24, 2019, "Imposing Sanctions with Respect to Iran;" Iran-related Designations; Counter Terrorism Designations . 1 March 2022 . U.S. Department of the Treasury . en.
12. Web site: Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif OFAC Designation . ofaclawyer.net.
13. Web site: OFAC Sanctions List Search (SDN List) . sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov.
14. Web site: OFAC Sanctions List Search . sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov.
15. Web site: Libyan-related Designations and Designations Removals .
16. Web site: DPRKrelated Designations and Designations Removals. May 14, 2024. www-m.cnn.com.
17. Web site: Balkans-related Designations and Designations Removals . 2022-04-11 . U.S. Department of the Treasury . en.
18. Web site: SPECIALLY DESIGNATED NATIONALS LIST UPDATE . 25 February 2022 . US Department of the Treasury . 26 February 2022 . "The following individuals have been added to OFAC's SDN List: ... PUTIN, Vladimir Vladimirovich (Cyrillic: ПУТИН, Владимир Владимирович) (a.k.a. PUTIN, Vladimir (Cyrillic: ПУТИН, Владимир)), Kremlin, Moscow, Russia; Novo-Ogaryevo, Moscow Region, Russia; Bocharov Ruchey, Sochi, Russia; Valdai, Novgorod Region, Russia; DOB 07 Oct 1952; POB Leningrad, Russia; nationality Russia; citizen Russia; Gender Male; President of the Russian Federation (individual) [RUSSIA-EO14024]." .
19. Web site: OFAC Sanctions List Search . sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov.
20. Web site: Russia-related Designations; Issuance of Russia-related Directive 1A and General Licenses; Publication of new and updated Frequently Asked Questions. U.S. Department of the Treasury.
21. Web site: 2022-02-25 . Russia-related Designations . U.S. Department of the Treasury.
22. Web site: Vladimir Kirienko. vk.company.
23. Web site: Learn about the top 10 Most Influential Politicians of Russia. June 23, 2018.
24. The Guardian. 12 January 2017. Page 6.
25. Web site: Ukraine-related Designations and Designations Removals .
26. Web site: Ukraine-related Designations and Designations Removals .
27. Web site: Sanctions List Search . 2022-05-07 . sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov.
28. Web site: Syria-related Designations; Syria Designations and Designations Updates; Iran-related Designation Update; Counter Terrorism Designation Update . 2022-05-07 . U.S. Department of the Treasury . en.
29. Web site: Syria-related Designations and Designations Removals . ofac.treasury.gov.
30. Web site: July 31, 2017 . U.S. Blacklists the President of Venezuela as a Specially Designated National (SDN) .
31. Web site: 2018-09-25 . SPECIALLY DESIGNATED NATIONALS LIST UPDATE (VENEZUELA) . ofac.treasury.gov.
32. Web site: February 13, 2017 . Treasury Sanctions Prominent Venezuelan Drug Trafficker Tareck El Aissami . U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY.
33. https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/recent-actions/20220606 US Treasury
34. Web site: 2023-10-20 . U.S. Treasury Sanctions Members of Milorad Dodik’s Family and Patronage Network . U.S. Department of the Treasury.
35. Web site: 2023-09-28 . Treasury Designates Entities and Individual Exacerbating Sudan’s Instability . U.S. Department of the Treasury.
36. Web site: OFAC Sanctions List Search . sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov.
37. Web site: OFAC Sanctions List Search . sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov.
38. Web site: . 16 July 2010 . Treasury Designates Anwar Al-Aulaqi, Key Leader of Al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula . 17 March 2022 . treasury.gov . Aulaqi was designated pursuant to Executive Order 13224 for supporting acts of terrorism and for acting for or on behalf of AQAP..
39. Web site: Ebrahim Raisi . Counter Extremism Project.
40. Web site: A Bulletin from the Office of Foreign Assets Control - June 24, 2003 . fdic.gov.
41. Web site: Punishing Iran's Triggermen in Iraq: Opening Moves in a Long Campaign . The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
42. Web site: Libya EO; Libyan Sanctions Designations; . treasury.gov.
43. Web site: Sanctions List Search - Yevgeny Prigozhin . sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov.
44. Web site: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Associated with the International Criminal Court Designations . ofac.treasury.gov.
45. Web site: US revokes ICC prosecutor's visa over Afghanistan inquiry . theguardian.com.