Four Individuals Added to Hamas Sanctions

Summary#

These are final regulations (SOR/2024-87) that change the Special Economic Measures (Hamas Terrorist Attacks) Regulations. Published in the Canada Gazette on May 22, 2024, they add four people to the list of those targeted by Canadian sanctions and took effect when registered on May 9, 2024.

What it does#

• Adds four individuals to the schedule of designated persons who are subject to Canada’s sanctions:
  • Khaled Qaddoumi
  • Ali Morshed Shirazi (born February 7, 1969)
  • Mostafa Mohammad Khani (born July 23, 1961)
  • Ali Ahmad Faizullahi
• Updates the French wording of paragraph 2(a) of the Special Economic Measures (Hamas Terrorist Attacks) Regulations (a textual correction in the French version).
• Confirms the regulations apply from the day they were registered (so they were effective before the Gazette publication).
• Notes that listed people can apply to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to be removed from the list.

Who's affected#

• The four named individuals and any of their property or assets that might be in Canada or controlled by Canadians.
• Canadian banks and other financial institutions, which must screen for and block dealings with listed people.
• Any person or business in Canada (or Canadian abroad) that might otherwise transact with the listed individuals — those transactions are prohibited unless a permit is granted.
• Global Affairs Canada, which oversees and enforces these sanctions and maintains the public list (the Consolidated Canadian Autonomous Sanctions List).
• It is unclear whether ordinary Canadians or most businesses will see direct effects; the government says the newly listed people have limited known ties to Canada.

Why it matters#

• The measures freeze and block dealings with the named individuals. That means no Canadian person or business should give them money, services, property, or goods.
• Listed people become inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
• Financial institutions will update screening systems; this can cause some compliance costs and may slow transactions that need extra checks.
• Breaking the rules can lead to criminal penalties: on summary conviction a fine up to $25,000 or imprisonment up to one year, or on indictment imprisonment up to five years.
• These actions are part of Canada’s broader effort to isolate and restrict actors linked to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.