European Union (EU) adopts sanctions against Syrian regime
The European Union has adopted additional sanctions against individuals and organisations associated with the Syrian regime. The Netherlands has been actively pressing the EU for this new package of sanctions, which targets the regime’s current revenue models that serve to prolong the Syrian conflict.
More information about the sanctions will follow in this article later today. Read the complete text in Dutch.
The package of sanctions consists of three parts: sanctions against those responsible for the large-scale drugs trafficking in which the regime is engaged, sanctions against those responsible for oppressing the population and violating human rights, and sanctions relating to economic deals with Russia that are harmful to the Syrian people. Any assets in the EU belonging to individuals and organisations that appear on the sanctions list have been frozen. In addition, individuals and companies in the EU are prohibited from doing business with these parties. Finally, people on the list are barred from entering the EU.
Over the past several years the Syrian regime has developed into a central player in the illegal production of and trade in the highly addictive drug Captagon. Members of President Assad’s family, sections of the Syrian army and regime-backed militias play a key role in this trade. The large profits generated by this trade make it possible for the Syrian regime to maintain the dire situation in Syria without feeling any pressure to work towards a solution.
Since the mass popular uprising in 2011 the Assad regime has continued to commit serious human rights violations and oppress the population. These sanctions target various notorious government-backed militias that are responsible for these acts, as well as the recently identified military officers responsible for the massacre of civilians in Tadamon, a suburb of Damascus, on 16 April 2013.
The Netherlands and the EU remain committed to providing humanitarian support to the Syrian people. These sanctions have no bearing on this support, such as the aid that is being provided in the aftermath of the recent earthquakes.
Originally published at https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2023/04/24/eu-sanctions-syrian-regime-netherlands
