Press Release / March 18, 2011

Global Witness welcomes UN sanctions on Libyan National Oil Company

Global Witness welcomes and supports the UN's decision to freeze the assets of the Libyan regime including those of Libya's National Oil Company (NOC). Freezing NOC's assets will help prevent the regime from accessing payments made for Libyan oil and using them to fund violence against Libya’s citizens. Working with Crisis Action, Global Witness and other groups including the Revenue Watch Institute and the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions recently wrote to the UN proposing such a move. Crisis Action, Global Witness and others are now calling for the EU to confirm such a measure in its own sanctions procedures.