US sanctions Syrian prisons, officials for human rights abuses

The Department of the Treasury said the sanctions promote accountability for abuses committed against the Syrian people.

The United States Department of the Treasury said on Wednesday that it had imposed sanctions on eight Syrian prisons run by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s intelligence apparatus and five senior officials who control the sites, where human rights abuses have taken place. The Treasury Department also put sanctions on Syrian armed group Ahrar al-Sharqiya, which operates in northern Syria, for abuses against civilians, as well as on two of the group’s leaders, it said in a statement. “Today’s designations promote accountability for abuses committed against the Syrian people and deny rogue actors access to the international financial system,” said Office of Foreign Assets Control Director Andrea Gacki. “This action demonstrates the United States’ strong commitment to targeting human rights abuses in Syria, regardless of the perpetrator.”