EU sanctions against Assad regime

The European Union yesterday imposed new sanctions against Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, including 10 senior officials, over their role in the “violent repression” practiced against Syria’s civilian population.

The European Council, which is considered one of the EU’s executive parties, said the sanctions included the names of high-ranking military officials and senior figures linked to Assad’s government.

The council said in a statement posted on its official website that the decision was based on the results of the meeting held on 17 October, followed by others held last Thursday and Friday.

The statement added that the council’s decision brings to 217 the number of individuals hit with travel bans into the European zone and asset freezes, as a result of the violent repression committed against Syria’s civilians. In addition, the EU has placed asset freezing sanctions against 69 Syrian entities linked to the regime.

At the end of the statement, the European Council stressed on its commitment to a lasting solution to the Syrian issue in the absence of a military settlement for Syria’s civil war.

The EU sanctions against the Syrian regime included oil embargo, restrictions on investments, a freeze on Syrian central bank accounts in the EU countries, and restrictions on technology exports to Syria, which could be used for internal repression; in addition to restricting exports of technologies that monitor and intercept telephone and internet networks.

On 27th May, the EU extended the enforcement of restrictive measures until early June 2017.