MOSCOW, July 22 (RIA Novosti) - The European Union added three people and nine companies to its sanctions list against Syria on Tuesday, freezing their assets and denying their entry to EU countries, an official EU communique stated.
“In view of the gravity of the situation in Syria, the Council today reinforced EU restrictive measures against the Syrian regime. The Council has targeted three additional persons and nine entities due to their involvement in the violent repression of the civilian population or their support to the regime. These will be subject to an asset freeze and a ban from entering the EU,” the statement said.
The names will be published in tomorrow's EU Official Journal, at which point the sanctions will enter into force. The new sanctions bring the total number of individuals targeted to 192 and companies to 63.
The initial decision to impose sanctions against Syrian companies and a number of high-ranking officials was adopted by EU on May 31, 2013. The sanctions include a number of export and import bans, including an oil embargo, as well as restrictions on investments, financial activity and the transport sector.
In late June 2014, the European Union announced that it had extended economic sanctions against Syria through June 1, 2015.
