On December 31, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Olesya Mendeleeva, a Russian judge who played a role in the arbitrary detention of Alexei Gorinov, a Moscow city councilor and human right activist who opposes Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to OFAC, Gorinov was sentenced to seven years in prison, in 2022, for voicing opposition to the war with Ukraine and has allegedly suffered physical abuse and the denial of medical treatment while being detained.
Mendeleeva’s designation was imposed pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Right Accountability Act that targets those who engage in serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world. As a result of this designation, all property and interests in property of the designee within the United States or within the possession or control of a U.S. person are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving the designated person. In addition, entities owned 50 percent or more by one or more designated persons are also blocked.