US Treasury on Friday imposed sanctions on the head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Authority, and the former National Security Adviser, Faleh al-Fayyad, citing alleged links to so-called “human rights violations.”
The Treasury Department’s statement said that the PMF, better known as the Hashd Shaabi paramilitary forces, had allegedly attacked the participants in the Iraqi demonstrations in October 2019.
The statement added that Al-Fayyad was a “member of the Crisis Cell” that was allegedly formed “in order to suppress Iraqi protesters.”
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, “Politicians and allies with Iran, such as Faleh al-Fayyad, have waged a violent campaign against Iraqi democracy and civil society by overseeing and managing the killing of peaceful Iraqi protesters.”
Sanctions also include a ban on any entities that Al-Fayyad owns 50 percent of its stake, or that he and others own directly or indirectly.
Source: Agencies
