The EU adds Syrian Defense Minister and the Army Chief of Staff to its Sanctions list
The European Union has imposed new sanctions on two senior Syrian army officers under the EU’s global human rights sanctions regime.
The sanctions, issued on Monday, include Defense Minister and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Armed Forces Ali Mahmoud Abbas, and Syrian Army Chief of Staff Abdul Karim Mohamed Ibrahim.
The sanctions include asset freezes, a ban on the provision of funds or economic resources to or for the benefit of sanctioned persons directly or indirectly, and a ban on travel to EU countries.
The EU has imposed these sanctions on the Syrian government since 2011.
Initially, sanctions included 291 people with asset freezes and travel bans, as well as asset freezes on 70 financial entities.
Prior to the latest sanctions, restrictive measures were imposed in January 2024 on six individuals and five entities linked to the Syrian government.
On 28 May, the European Union extended sanctions on Syria until June 2025, given the deteriorating situation in the country, with five deceased people and another individual removed from the list.
