US Imposes Syria-Related Sanctions on 8 Individuals, 10 Entities
14:31 GMT 28.07.2021 (Updated: 13:21 GMT 06.08.2022)
© REUTERS / Jim Bourg
Subscribe
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Department of Treasury has unveiled a number of fresh Syria-related sanctions targeting prisons and individuals involved in alleged rights abuses, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.
Eight individuals and 10 entities, including branches of the Syrian general and military intelligence, have been blacklisted by the Treasury, according to a notice on its website.
This is the first time the Biden administration imposes sanctions on Syria, the Treasury Department said.
"The individuals and entities we are designating today have been [involved in] gross violations of human rights, including supervising the torture and killing of detainees," Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control Director Andrea Gacki said.
Gacki said more than 3,500 detains had died in one prison in Syria as per information supplied by a defector defector from the Syrian military,
The Treasury Department also sanctioned two armed groups that robbed Syrian civilians, Gacki added.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed the Treasury Department's statement and accused the Syrian government of human rights violations.
The U.S. has sanctioned eight Syrian prisons, five prison officials, an Assad-affiliated militia, and an armed Syrian opposition group and two of its leaders that are perpetuating the suffering of the Syrian people. We'll continue to promote accountability for abuses in Syria.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 28, 2021
