Still, the Justice Department and state attorneys general pressing the case insist that they will not settle for mild sanctions.

If Congress agreed, they would be subject to mild sanctions like barring exports of products that "facilitate" persecution - such as Internet surveillance software.

The commission can also recommend that a judge be removed from the bench or admonished, the mildest sanction.

A mild sanction, but the four leaders of the Iraqi lobby were eager to fight it.

The payments, which came three weeks after the Administration announced milder economic sanctions, had been viewed by United States officials as a "minor setback."

Regulators imposed mild sanctions against Neil Bush for his role in the failure of Silverado.

The United States and several allies agreed yesterday to impose mild economic sanctions on Yugoslavia.

Washington and other Western governments may now strengthen the current mild sanctions against Zimbabwe.

June 20: President Bush orders some mild sanctions against China.

Before the additional powers were granted, the agency frequently settled litigation in exchange for milder sanctions that did not involve fines.