Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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379. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland supports the imposition of EU Magnitsky style sanctions on persons who are complicit in human rights violations; if such sanctions have been imposed by Ireland to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37558/21]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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388. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the details of the human rights violations that he has raised with the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38045/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 379 and 388 together.

Ireland is a strong supporter of the EU’s new Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, established in December 2020. The Regime provides the EU with a concrete tool to target those responsible for serious human rights violations and abuses, wherever they might occur, including in States not currently subject to a specific sanctions regime.

The framework for targeted restrictive measures applies to acts such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and other serious human rights violations or abuses (including torture, slavery, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests or detentions). Other human rights violations or abuses can also fall under the scope of the sanctions regime, where those violations or abuses are widespread, systematic, or are otherwise of serious concern as regards the objectives of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU.

To date, sanctions in the form of travel bans and the freezing of assets/funds have been imposed on a broad list of individuals and entities involved in human rights abuses, drawn from six different jurisdictions: China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Russia, Libya and South Sudan.

Ireland implements UN and EU sanctions, but does not have any unilateral sanctions regimes of its own. UN and EU sanctions, including the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, are given effect in Ireland through EU Council Decisions and Regulations.

These designations send a strong message that the EU is willing to act tangibly and directly to confront serious human rights violations, when other efforts have not brought about the desired change of behaviour.