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A group of Syrian political and academic figures sent a letter to the British government, demanding that it take similar action against Asma al-Akhras, her parents and her two brothers, as they have British citizenship, days after the United States announced sanctions against the wife. of the president of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad.
The personalities sent the letter on Saturday to the British Chancellor, Dominic Raab, and in its text they read: “Your adoption of such measures will send a message of hope to our people and a strong message to the rest of the peoples that the United Kingdom will not be a safe place for those who persecute their people. “
The signatories of the letter are: Riad Hijab, George Sabra, Abdul Basit Sida, Louay Safi, Muhammad Sabra, Suheir Atassi, Amna Khawlani, Adeeb al-Shishakli, Abd al-Rahman al-Hajj and Wael al-Ajji.
He urged Great Britain
The former chief negotiator at the Geneva talks for Islam in Syria, lawyer Muhammad Sabra, said in an interview with Al-Hurra: “The message comes along with the sanctions announced by the US Treasury, in accordance with the Law of Justice and Accountability known as the Caesar Law, and included for the first time a group of figures who have foreign nationalities and are members of the Al-Akhras family who have British citizenship and exercise their political and economic rights in Great Britain.
He stressed that the objective behind this message is “to urge the British government to take action to address the legal violations committed by British citizens by supporting the war effort of the Bashar Al-Assad regime and financing some of its criminal activities.”
Accounts in Gulf countries
He noted that “after America’s multifaceted sanctions system, some of Assad’s wealth was transferred from people who made it onto the sanctions list, mostly from the Makhlouf family, and these fortunes were placed in European and Gulf banks with accounts of people from the house of al-Akhras “.
And he considered that “the Al-Akhras family is the cover for Bashar Al-Assad’s money, and he finances himself with him, to commit more war crimes against humanity”, noting that “the letter was delivered to a group of officials and some committees of the British House of Commons and the House of Lords to follow up on this matter. “
He noted that “Britain is a signatory to the Rome Statute, the founder of the International Criminal Court, and therefore any British citizen who is involved in committing or assisting in war crimes, is punished under the British Penal Code in the first place. and the Letter of Rome in the second degree “.
Brexit
The opposition politician and director of the Syrian Memory Foundation, Abd al-Rahman al-Hajj, highlighted in his speech to Al-Hurra that “the idea arose that the US sanctions affected British citizens”, and noted that “we have a great opportunity to achieve sanctions, considering that Great Britain is out The European Union can issue decisions without their approval.
Al-Haj hoped that “the year 2021 will bear a title indicating the Syrian move abroad, especially if the message succeeds in achieving its goal, especially since Syrians in America were among the first workers and supporters of the Caesar Act.” .
And he considered that “the British sanctions against the Al-Akhras family limit the regime’s ability to move, especially with the presence of several countries linked to Great Britain financially and politically, which means that the imposition of sanctions by London may have a broad impact that includes the Gulf countries, some of which are a safe haven for the Assad family. “
A stone in standing water
In turn, the secretary of the Conservative Association of the Middle East, Wael Al-Ajji, said that “the message is of great importance for several reasons, among which it stands out that it is addressed to the state government whose nationality is the Al family. Akhras “.
Al-Ajji added, in his speech to Al-Hurra, that “the letter is written in courteous diplomatic language that encourages the government to take measures similar to those taken by the United States government, that is, its demand is realistic and achievable and does not require miracles “, noting that” it was signed by independent personalities, none of them hold political office.
He stressed that “the message is an attempt to throw a stone into stagnant waters to push the Syrian issue a bit on the priority agenda and return it to the center of attention and political debate so that interest in it does not diminish, as well as an attempt to sow hope among the Syrian people who are on the brink of despair and surrender.
Last Tuesday, the United States imposed new sanctions on Syria, targeting the Central Bank of Syria and blacklisting various individuals and entities, as part of ongoing efforts to cut funding to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington had imposed sanctions on Asma al-Assad, the Syrian president’s wife, who was born in Britain, for her role in obstructing efforts to reach a political solution to the war, along with various members of his family.
This is the second time that Washington has imposed sanctions on Asma al-Assad, as it did last June.
