The European Union has imposed new sanctions on officials of the Syrian regime under the EU’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.

The sanctions issued on Monday, July 22, targeted the Minister of Defense and Deputy Commander in Chief of the Army and Armed Forces, Ali Mahmoud Abbas, and the Chief of Staff of the regime’s army, Abdel Karim Mohammad Ibrahim.

The EU statement declared that Abbas and Ibrahim are responsible for actions by the regime’s forces regarding systematic and widespread torture, rape, sexual violence, and gender-based violence against civilians.

The sanctions include freezing assets, prohibiting the provision of funds or economic resources to the penalized individuals or on their behalf directly or indirectly, and banning travel to EU countries.

General Abdul Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim, Chief of the General Staff of the regime’s army – June 17, 2024 (Ministry of Defense/Facebook)

Sanctions since 2011

The EU has been imposing sanctions on the Syrian regime since 2011 due to its violent repression of peaceful demonstrations, as well as the regime’s forces and security apparatus invading Syrian cities and towns and committing violations against civilians.

The sanctions have targeted 291 individuals by freezing their assets and banning their travel, along with 70 entities whose financial assets were frozen.

On May 28, the EU extended the European sanctions on the Syrian regime until June 2025 “due to the severity of the deteriorating situation in Syria,” while also removing five deceased individuals and one other person from the list.

In January, the EU imposed restrictive measures against six individuals and five entities linked to the Syrian regime.

Calls for engaging with the regime

The EU sanctions followed calls by European countries during a meeting of EU foreign ministers to reassess relations with Syria and engage with the regime.

The British newspaper, Financial Times, reported on Monday, July 22, that it had seen a letter addressed to the EU’s top diplomat.

The letter was penned by the foreign ministers of Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Slovakia, and Slovenia, saying: “Our goal is a more active and result-oriented policy and process in Syria, which would allow us to increase our political influence and the effectiveness of our humanitarian aid.”

The ministers also proposed discussing the impact of the EU sanctions regime on the Syrian regime, asserting that “over-compliance in the banking system” has had “unintended negative effects on the population.”

Any steps perceived as easing the pressure on the Syrian regime are likely to be met with resistance from other capitals, according to the Financial Times, given the widespread human rights violations and war crimes the regime is accused of committing.