January 8, 2021

Iraqi official designated under Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act

The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Department of the Treasury has designated the chairman of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Committee (PMC) pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, and targets individuals and entities who have engaged in serious human rights abuses. 

According to OFAC, in addition to his role in the PMC, Falih al-Fayyadh served as the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister until July 2020, and supervised the violent suppression of Iraqi civilians demonstrating against Iranian interference in Iraq, economic stagnation, and corruption.  The actions of the PMC resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Iraqis in 2019.

As a result of this designation, US property belonging to al-Fayyadh is blocked, and transactions involving such property are generally prohibited.

US Dept of the Treasury press release