The European Union has unveiled its 13th package of restrictive measures targeting the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine is soon entering its third year.

European Union decision-makers approved restrictive measures against six individuals and five entities who have been supporting and profiting from the regime of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

Marking the 75th anniversary of the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the West has imposed sanctions on numerous human rights abusers worldwide, including asset freezes and travel bans.

United Kingdom authorities agreed to take a crucial step in cracking down on affluent elites’ exploitation of the legal system in order to silence investigative journalists and campaigners.

The European Union blacklisted Russia, Costa Rica, the British Virgin Islands and the Marshall Islands as tax havens on Tuesday, bringing the total number of blacklisted countries to 16, the Council of the EUsaid. The new list has already drawn criticism from experts.

Before even being published, the updated version of the European Council’s tax haven blacklist has already drawn criticism from politicians, academics and civil society organizations for being overly political and failing to serve its purpose.

The European Council established on Monday a global human rights sanctions regime which will allow the bloc to impose travel bans and freeze funds from individuals and entities that are involved or associated with serious human rights violations.

Despite its status as one of the world’s most secretive and low tax jurisdictions, the European Council announced on Tuesday that it has delisted the Cayman Islands from the EU’s list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes – informally known as its tax haven blacklist.