The Global Human Rights Sanctions (Overseas Territories) Order 2020

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order extends with modifications the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/680) (“the GHRS Regulations”) as amended from time to time to all British overseas territories except Bermuda and Gibraltar (which implement sanctions under their own legislative arrangements).

Section 63(3)(c) of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (c.13) (“the Sanctions Act”) provides that Her Majesty may by Order in Council provide for any provision of Part 1 of that Act, or any regulations under Part 1 of that Act, to extend with or without modifications to any of the British overseas territories. Section 63(4) provides that this includes the power to extend any regulations as amended from time to time.

The GHRS Regulations were made under Part 1 of the Sanctions Act to establish a sanctions regime for the purpose of deterring, and providing accountability for, activities which, if carried out by or on behalf of a State, would amount to serious violations of certain human rights by that State. The activities could be carried out by a State or non-State actor.

The GHRS Regulations, as modified and extended to the British overseas territories listed in Schedule 1 by this Order (“the modified Regulations”), provide that a person designated by the Secretary of State for being, or having been, involved in such activities, is a designated person for the purposes of the modified Regulations. Designated persons may be excluded from the territory and may be made subject to financial sanctions, including having their funds or economic resources frozen.

The modified Regulations provide for certain exceptions to this sanctions regime (for example to allow for frozen accounts to be credited with interest or other earnings and to allow acts done for the purpose of national security or the prevention of serious crime). The Governor may, with the consent of the Secretary of State, issue a licence in respect of activities that would otherwise be prohibited under the modified Regulations. Schedule 2 sets out the purposes under which the Governor will issue such licences. The modified Regulations also require the Governor of the territory to publish an up-to-date list of designated persons.

The modified Regulations prescribe powers for the provision and sharing of information to enable the effective implementation and enforcement of the sanctions regime. The modified Regulations make it a criminal offence to contravene, or circumvent, any of the prohibitions in the modified Regulations and prescribe the penalties that apply to such offences.

This Order also extends to the territories for the purposes of the modified Regulations specific provisions of Part 1 of the Sanctions Act, namely provisions relating to protection for acts done for purposes of compliance, Crown application and saving for prerogative powers.

An Impact Assessment has not been prepared for this instrument because the territorial extent of the instrument is the British overseas territories listed at Schedule 1 to the instrument: no, or no significant, impact is foreseen on the private, voluntary or public sector in the United Kingdom.