European Union adds 8 Assad regime officials to its sanctions list

Today, Friday, the European Union added eight ministers from the new government of the Syrian regime formed last August to its sanctions list in the context of its “responsibility” for the bloody repression practiced by the Bashar al-Assad regime.

This list includes, since 2014, the new Prime Minister Hossein Arnous. The new government includes three female ministers, and is the fifth to be formed since the beginning of the conflict in 2011.

The Europeans today added to their blacklist the names of the ministers of oil and mineral resources Bassam Tohme, Industry Ziad Sabbagh, Health Hassan Ghobasha, Agriculture Muhammad Hassan Qatana, Electric Power Ghassan Zamel and three state ministers, Muhammad Fayez Barsha, Malloul Hussein and Muhammad Samir Haddad.

On October 16, the European Union imposed sanctions against Finance Ministers Kenan Yaghi, Judge Ahmed Al-Sayed, Trade Talal Al-Barazi, Transport Zuhair Khazim, Culture Labana Mashouh, Education Darem Tabaa and Water Resources Tamam Raad.

All of them were banned from obtaining entry visas and their assets in the European Union were frozen, so the list includes 288 names and 70 entities linked to the Syrian regime.

In 2011, the European Union imposed “an oil embargo, restrictions on some investments, a freeze on the assets of the Syrian Central Bank in the European Union, restrictions on import operations of equipment and technology suspected of being used for repression purposes. internal, as well as equipment and technology designed to monitor and intercept communications through the Internet and the telephone. “

The European Union imposed these sanctions on the Syrian regime since early December 2011 and reviews them annually.