The UK has announced sanctions against militia leaders and groups it says were involved in violence against civilians in Syria.
Three groups and four commanders have had their assets frozen over their involvement in suspected atrocities during clashes in coastal regions which saw about 1,400 killed earlier this year, as well as during the Syrian civil war, the Foreign Office said.
Two businessmen will also face sanctions over their financial support for ex-President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
“Accountability and justice for all Syrians is vital to ensure a successful and sustainable political settlement” following the sudden downfall of Assad’s rule in 2024, the foreign secretary said.
“These designations send a clear message to those who seek to undermine the peaceful and prosperous future of all Syrians,” Yvette Cooper added.
Cooper said the UK remained committed to working with the Syrian government to “support the country’s economic recovery and deliver for a Syria that recognises the voices and needs of all citizens”.
Since Islamist-led rebels ousted Assad last December, sectarian divisions have been exposed in Syria.
Violence erupted this spring along Syria’s coast, pitting security forces of the new government – mostly Sunni Muslims – against armed men linked to the former regime. The clashes occurred in the heartland of the Alawites – an offshoot sect of Shia Islam which Assad belongs to.
Under Assad’s 24-year rule, peaceful protests against his regime were violently repressed, eventually leading to 13 years of civil war that saw more than half a million people killed.
The individuals sanctioned by the UK government are:
- Ghaith Dalla – A former senior regime military commander, leader of a pro-regime militia group.
- Miqdad Fatiha – A former regime military commander, leader of a pro-regime militia group.
- Mohammad al-Jasim – Commander of Sultan Suleiman Shah militia group.
- Sayf Boulad – Commander of Hamza Division militia group
- Mudallal Khoury – a Syrian-Russian businessman who helped finance the activities of the Assad regime
- Imad Khoury –a Syrian-Russian businessman who helped finance the activities of the Assad regime
They will be subject to an asset freeze, travel ban and banned from acting as company directors in the UK.
The militant groups Sultan Murad Division, Sultan Suleiman Shah Division and Hamzat Division are also subject to an asset freeze under the sanctions, the Foreign Office also said.
Earlier this year, the UK lifted asset freezes on Syrian bodies including government departments and the country’s central bank following its change of regime.
The then Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited the country in July and met its interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa.