In concert with the goals of this week's Summit for Democracy, the United States is imposing sanctions today on 16 individuals and 24 entities from several countries in Europe and the Western Hemisphere. These sanctions target perpetrators of corruption pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
The United States Strategy on Countering Corruption, released December 6, highlights the importance of addressing the nexus between corruption, criminal, and other illicit activity as a national security priority. Transnational organized crime is destabilizing, with these groups often colluding with public officials to shield themselves from prosecution and accountability. Transnational criminal organizations also operate across borders, undermining the international financial system and complicating law enforcement efforts to disrupt and dismantle transnational crime globally. We also know that organized crime backed by corrupt actors can destabilize rule of law, erode confidence in public institutions, and weaken democratic governance.
We will continue to use all available tools to break the links between criminal activity and corruption. Today's actions, with the Department of the Treasury's designations of corrupt actors linked to transnational criminal organizations in El Salvador, Kosovo and Serbia, are part of our whole-of-government efforts to break these links and promote accountability for corrupt actors.
