UK imposes new sanctions on 6 members of Syrian government

LONDON (AP) — Britain said Monday it was imposing new sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, including asset freezes and travel bans on the leader’s close allies.

The announcement came on the 10th anniversary of the start of the Syrian uprising. The six sanctioned individuals include Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, presidential adviser Luna al-Shibl, and two military generals who Britain said were responsible for the violent repression of civilians by troops under their command.

The Foreign Office said they also include two prominent businessmen, one of whom, Yassar Ibrahim, allegedly “acts as a front" for the “personal hold on the Syrian economy” wielded by Assad and his wife, Asma, while millions of Syrians go without food.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned the Assad regime for subjecting the Syrian people “to a decade of brutality for the temerity of demanding peaceful reform.”

“Today we are holding six more individuals from the regime to account for their wholesale assault on the very citizens they should be protecting,” Raab said in a statement.

The sanctions were the first against the Syrian leadership under Britain’s new autonomous sanctions regime after Brexit.

Separately, British media also reported that the Metropolitan Police has launched a preliminary investigation into claims that Asma Assad has incited, aided and encouraged war crimes by Syrian government forces.

The Guardian and others reported Sunday that Asma Assad, who was born and raised in London, is being investigated over allegations that her speeches and public appearances supporting the Syrian army implicate her in war crimes.

The Metropolitan Police didn't comment directly on the reports, but when asked about the investigation into Asma...