I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6683 
To impose sanctions with respect to persons responsible for violence and 
human rights abuses in Nicaragua, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 28, 2018 
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself and Mr. SIRES) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition 
to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To impose sanctions with respect to persons responsible for 
violence and human rights abuses in Nicaragua, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nicaragua Human 
Rights and Anticorruption Act of 2018’’. 
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SEC. 2. LIST OF PERSONS TRANSFERRING GOODS OR TECH-
NOLOGIES TO NICARAGUA THAT ARE LIKELY 
TO BE USED TO COMMIT HUMAN RIGHTS 
ABUSES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 
transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
list of each person the President determines have know-
ingly engaged in an activity described in subsection (b)(1) 
on or after such date of enactment. 
(b) ACTIVITY DESCRIBED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A person knowingly engages 
in an activity described in this paragraph if the per-
son— 
(A) transfers, or facilitates the transfer of, 
goods or technologies described in paragraph 
(3) for use in or with respect to Nicaragua, 
to— 
(i) the Government of Nicaragua; 
(ii) any entity organized under the 
laws of Nicaragua; or 
(iii) any national of Nicaragua; or 
(B) provides services (including services re-
lating to hardware, software, specialized infor-
mation, or professional consulting, engineering, 
and support services) with respect to such 
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goods or technologies after such goods or tech-
nologies are transferred to Nicaragua. 
(2) APPLICABILITY TO CONTRACTS AND OTHER 
AGREEMENTS.—A person shall be determined to en-
gage in an activity described in paragraph (1) with-
out regard to whether the activity is carried out pur-
suant to a contract or other agreement entered into 
before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
(3) GOODS OR TECHNOLOGIES DESCRIBED.— 
Goods or technologies described in this subpara-
graph are goods or technologies that the President 
determines are to be used by the Government of 
Nicaragua or any of the agencies or instrumental-
ities of the Government of Nicaragua (or by any 
other person on behalf of the Government of Nica-
ragua or any of such agencies or instrumentalities) 
to commit serious human rights abuses against the 
people of Nicaragua, including— 
(A) firearms or ammunition (as such terms 
are defined in section 921 of title 18, United 
States Code), rubber bullets, police batons, pep-
per or chemical sprays, stun grenades, electro-
shock weapons, tear gas, water cannons, or sur-
veillance technology; or 
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(B) 
hardware, 
software, 
telecommuni-
cations equipment, or any other technology that 
the President determines is to be used specifi-
cally to restrict the free flow of unbiased infor-
mation in Nicaragua or to disrupt, monitor, or 
otherwise restrict speech of the people of Nica-
ragua. 
(c) SPECIAL EXCEPTION IN THE CASE OF TERMI-
NATION
OF SANCTIONABLE ACTIVITY.—The President 
may determine not to include a person on the list required 
under subsection (a) if— 
(1) the President determines that the person is 
no longer engaging in, or has taken significant cred-
ible steps toward stopping (including by winding 
down contracts or other agreements that were in ef-
fect prior to the date of the enactment of this Act), 
the activity described in subsection (b)(1) with re-
spect to which the President would otherwise have 
included the person on the list; and 
(2) the President has received reliable assur-
ances that such person will not knowingly engage in 
any new activity described in such subsection (b)(1). 
(d) UPDATED LIST.—The President shall transmit to 
the appropriate congressional committees an updated list 
under subsection (a)— 
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(1) not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act; and 
(2) as new information becomes available. 
(e) FORM OF LIST; PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.— 
(1) FORM.—The list required under subsection 
(a) shall be transmitted in unclassified form but may 
contain a classified annex. 
(2) PUBLIC
AVAILABILITY.—The unclassified 
portion of the list required under subsection (a) shall 
be made available to the public and posted on the 
website of the Department of State. 
SEC. 3. SANCTIONS ON PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR VIO-
LENCE IN NICARAGUA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose the 
sanctions described in subsection (b)(1) with respect to 
each person, including any current or former official of 
the Government of Nicaragua or a person acting on behalf 
of that Government, that— 
(1) the President determines— 
(A) has perpetrated, or is responsible for 
ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, sig-
nificant acts of violence or serious human rights 
abuses in Nicaragua against individuals partici-
pating in protests in Nicaragua that began on 
April 18, 2018; 
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(B) has directed or ordered the arrest or 
prosecution of a person primarily because of the 
person’s legitimate exercise of freedom of ex-
pression or assembly in relation to the protests 
in Nicaragua that began on April 18, 2018; 
(C) has knowingly materially assisted, 
sponsored, or provided significant financial, ma-
terial, or technological support for, or goods or 
services in support of, the commission of acts 
described in paragraph (1) or (2) in relation to 
protests in Nicaragua that began on April 18, 
2018; or 
(D) has engaged in censorship against in-
dividuals or media outlets disseminating infor-
mation in relation to protests in Nicaragua that 
began on April 18, 2018; 
(E) is responsible for or complicit in order-
ing, controlling, or otherwise directing signifi-
cant actions or policies that undermine demo-
cratic processes or institutions in Nicaragua; 
(F) is a former or current official of the 
Government of Nicaragua, or a person acting 
on behalf of that Government, that is respon-
sible for or complicit in ordering, controlling, or 
otherwise directing acts of significant corrup-
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tion, including the expropriation of private or 
public assets for personal gain, corruption re-
lated to government contracts, bribery, or the 
facilitation or transfer of the proceeds of cor-
ruption to foreign jurisdictions; 
(G) has cooperated with a current or 
former official of the Government of Venezuela 
or a person acting on behalf of that Govern-
ment; or 
(H) is associated with conducting business 
deals with Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. or its 
subsidiary in Nicaragua, Alba de Nicaragua 
S.A. (ALBANISA); or 
(2) is included on the list required under sec-
tion 2. 
(b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The sanctions described in 
this subsection are the following: 
(A) ASSET BLOCKING.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The exercise of all 
powers granted to the President by the 
International Emergency Economic Powers 
Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent 
necessary to block and prohibit all trans-
actions in all property and interests in 
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property of a person determined by the 
President to be subject to subsection (a) if 
such property and interests in property are 
in the United States, come within the 
United States, or are or come within the 
possession or control of a United States 
person. 
(ii) EXCEPTION.—The requirement to 
block and prohibit all transactions in all 
property and interests in property under 
clause (i) shall not include the authority to 
impose sanctions on the importation of 
goods. 
(B) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, AD-
MISSION, OR PAROLE.— 
(i) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.— 
An alien who the Secretary of State or the 
Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des-
ignee of one of such Secretaries) knows or 
has reasonable grounds to believe meets 
any of the criteria described in subsection 
(a) is— 
(I) inadmissible to the United 
States; 
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(II) ineligible to receive a visa or 
other documentation to enter the 
United States; and 
(III) otherwise ineligible to be 
admitted or paroled into the United 
States or to receive any other benefit 
under the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.). 
(ii) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 
(I) IN
GENERAL.—The issuing 
consular officer, the Secretary of 
State, or the Secretary of Homeland 
Security (or a designee of one of such 
Secretaries) shall revoke any visa or 
other entry documentation issued to 
an alien who meets any of the criteria 
described in subsection (a), regardless 
of when issued. 
(II) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.— 
A revocation under subclause (I) shall 
take effect immediately and shall 
automatically cancel any other valid 
visa or entry documentation that is in 
the alien’s possession. 
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(iii) EXCEPTION
TO
COMPLY
WITH 
UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREE-
MENT.—Sanctions under this subpara-
graph shall not apply to an alien if admit-
ting the alien into the United States is 
necessary to permit the United States to 
comply with the Agreement regarding the 
Headquarters of the United Nations, 
signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, 
and entered into force November 21, 1947, 
between the United Nations and the 
United States, or other applicable inter-
national obligations. 
(2) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, at-
tempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 
violation of this section or any regulation, license, or 
order issued to carry out this section shall be subject 
to the penalties set forth in subsections (b) and (c) 
of section 206 of the International Emergency Eco-
nomic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same ex-
tent as a person that commits an unlawful act de-
scribed in subsection (a) of that section. 
(c) WAIVER.—The President may waive the applica-
tion of sanctions under subsection (b) with respect to a 
person if the President determines that such a waiver is 
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in the national interests of the United States and, on or 
before the date on which the waiver takes effect, submits 
to the appropriate congressional committees a notice of 
and justification for the waiver. 
(d) IMPLEMENTATION AUTHORITY.—The President 
may exercise all authorities provided to the President 
under sections 203 and 205 of the International Emer-
gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) 
to carry out this section, except that, in accordance with 
subsection (b)(1)(A)(ii), the authority to impose sanctions 
under subsection (b) of this section does not include the 
authority to impose sanctions relating to the importation 
of goods. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms ‘‘admitted’’ 
and ‘‘alien’’ have meanings given those terms in sec-
tion 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1101). 
(2) 
UNITED
STATES
PERSON.—The 
term 
‘‘United States person’’ means— 
(A) a United States citizen or an alien law-
fully admitted for permanent residence to the 
United States; or 
(B) an entity organized under the laws of 
the United States or of any jurisdiction within 
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the United States, including a foreign branch of 
such an entity. 
SEC. 4. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
FINED. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House of Representatives; 
(2) the Committee on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives; 
(3) the Committee on Financial Services of the 
House of Representatives; 
(4) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
Senate; 
(5) the Committee on Appropriations of the 
Senate; and 
(6) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs of the Senate. 
Æ 
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