- Senior regime figures including Syrian Foreign Minister,
adviser to Assad and Republican Guard commander handed asset
freezes and travel bans
- First use of UK’s autonomous sanctions regime against Syrian
figures, who have contributed to a decade of war and suffering
- UK pushing for regime to engage in UN-led talks and allow
humanitarian access after decade of violence
The UK has announced a fresh round of targeted sanctions on the
Assad regime, including close allies of the Syrian dictator
Bashar al-Assad, to send a clear message that they must be held
to account for their crimes.
The Foreign Secretary has outlined that the UK will impose travel bans and
asset freezes on six members of the regime, including the Foreign
Minister, to ensure they do not benefit from the UK in any way.
The new sanctions are the first against the Syrian leadership
under the UK’s autonomous sanctions regime, which came into
existence following the end of the EU Transition Period, and
follow 353 targeted sanctions listings on Syria that are already
being implemented.
The individuals are all part of or support the regime, and are
responsible for repressing the Syrian people or benefitting from
their misery.
After 10 years of violence, more than half a million people have
died and 11 million people have been displaced from their homes.
Vital infrastructure, hospitals and schools are routinely
attacked.
The UK is working through the Security Council to push the regime
to engage meaningfully in the UN-led peace process and
Constitutional Committee talks in Geneva, release those held in
arbitrary detention, and allow unhindered aid access throughout
Syria.
At the same time, the UK has been delivering life-saving aid
since the beginning of the conflict. Since 2012, across Syria and
the region, we have provided over 28 million food rations, over
20 million medical consultations, and over 14 million vaccines.
The Foreign Secretary said:
“The Assad regime has subjected the Syrian people to a decade
of brutality for the temerity of demanding peaceful reform.
“Today, we are holding six more individuals from the regime
to account for their wholesale assault on the very citizens they
should be protecting.”
The announcement comes on the 10th anniversary of the
Syrian uprising. The Assad regime continues to treat Syrians with
brutality and violence, including the horrific use of chemical
weapons.
Progress on the political process has been blocked by the regime
and its backers. The human rights abuses, repression and
corruption that sparked protests in 2011 have worsened, and the
humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.
--ENDS--
Notes to editors:
The following members of the Syrian regime have been sanctioned
today:
-
Faisal MIQDAD. Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Appointed in November 2020. As a Government Minister shares
responsibility for the Syrian regime's violent repression
against the civilian population.
-
Luna AL-SHIBL. Adviser to President Assad and
a prominent member of his inner circle. As Media Adviser to the
President, she supports the Syrian regime, which relies on
disinformation and a lack of media freedom to repress the
civilian population. She is also associated with the Syrian
regime through her role as an adviser.
-
Yassar IBRAHIM. Prominent and influential
businessperson and financier to President Assad, operating
across multiple sectors of the Syrian economy. The Ibrahim
family, led by Yasser Ibrahim, is associated with the Assad
regime, and acts as a front for Bashar and Asma Assad’s
personal hold on the Syrian economy, whilst millions of Syrians
are food insecure.
-
Muhammad Bara’ AL-QATIRJI. Prominent and
influential businessperson operating across multiple sectors of
the Syrian economy. Qatirji supports and benefits from the
regime including through enabling, and profiting from, trade
deals with the regime in relation to oil and wheat.
-
Major General Malik ALIAA. Major General and
Commander of the Republican Guard as of January 2021, and
former Commander of the Republican Guard’s 30th Division.
Responsible for the violent repression of the civilian
population by troops under his command, particularly during the
increased violence of the offensives on north-west Syria of
2019-2020.
-
Major General Zaid SALAH. Major General and
since January 2018 Commander of the Syrian Army’s 5th Corps,
and previously commanded the Republican Guard’s 30th Division.
Responsible for the violent repression of the civilian
population by troops under his command, particularly during the
increased violence of the Idlib/Hama offensive which began in
April 2019.
Further detail on the UK’s autonomous sanctions
regime:
- The Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (the
Sanctions Act) provides the legal framework for the UK to impose,
update and lift sanctions autonomously.
- Secondary legislation has been laid to establish the
structures and processes by which the Act will operate, and
to create a suite of sanctions regimes in UK law.
- Sanctions are imposed for specific purposes. They play an
indispensable role in countering breaches of international law,
proliferation, staunching the flow of arms into war zones,
combatting human rights violations or abuses, and targeting
spoilers of peace processes.
- The sanctions measures that may be imposed include financial
sanctions (such as asset freezes), immigration sanctions (travel
bans), trade sanctions (including arms embargoes and dual-use
goods restrictions), as well as aircraft and shipping sanctions
(including de-registration and controlling movement of aircraft
and ships).
- Sanctions are imposed for specific purposes. They play an
indispensable role in countering breaches of international law,
proliferation, staunching the flow of arms into war zones,
combatting human rights abuses, and targeting spoilers of peace
processes.
- Whether to maintain or lift sanctions is a decision taken
based on the objectives they are aimed to achieve.
- Food, medicines and medical equipment are not subject to UK,
EU or UN trade sanctions.
- To guard against the unintentional humanitarian impact of
sanctions, UN and UK sanctions provide for a range of
humanitarian exceptions and licensing derogations. Through
application of these exceptions and derogations, the risk can be
mitigated that sanctions obstruct humanitarian activity
or obstruct the supply of medicines or other humanitarian goods.
- Syria is subject to UK sanctions under both the Syria and
Chemical weapons sanctions regimes:
