US Sanctions Syria for Human Rights Abuses

May 18, 2011

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White House May 18, 2011

The United States on Wednesday invoked sanctions against Syrian President Bashar

Assad and six senior officials in his government for human rights abuses.

Administration officials announced the sanctions one day before President Barack

Obama is scheduled to deliver a major speech on the recent Middle East

uprisings.

President Obama expanded existing sanctions against Syria's government and

blocked top officials' assets in the United States and its jurisdictions. The

president's executive order also bars U.S. individuals or companies from dealing

with those officials.

It is the first time that the U.S. government has targeted President Assad

personally with sanctions.

The order charges that numerous elements of the Syrian government have overseen

and carried out attacks on protesters, harassed demonstrators and political

activists, and repressed democratic change.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday that further sanctions would

be imminent, if Syrian officials did not stop the violent crackdown.

" The window is narrowing for the Syrian government to shift focus away from

repressing its people and towards meeting the legitimate aspirations of its

people, " said Carney. " And as I said, we are looking at additional measures that

we can take, and we continue to enforce the measures already taken. "

Obama's executive order targets President Assad, Vice President Farouk al-Shara,

Prime Minister Adel Safar, the interior and defense ministers, the head of

Syria's military intelligence and the director of the country's political

security agency.

Activists in Syria say that at least 700 civilians have been killed since

protests against Assad's rule began two months ago.

Obama imposed a first round of sanctions against Syria last month, aimed at

Syria's intelligence agency and two of Assad's relatives.

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