Swiss sanctions target more members of Syrian president’s circle

Syrian and Russian companies are also targeted by the new sanctions. Keystone / Vladimir Gerdo/sputnik/kremlin/

Switzerland is extending its list of sanctions against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in line with the EU decisions of April 24.

Cousins of the Syrian president are targeted, as well as several entities, because of their involvement in captagon trafficking, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said on Friday. The trade in captagon, a drug belonging to the amphetamine family, has become a business model that enriches the regime’s inner circle, it writes.  

The list includes 25 new individuals and eight new entities. Two of the Syrian president’s cousins, Samer Kamal al-Assad and Wassim Badi al-Assad, were sanctioned. A third family member, Mudar Rifaat al-Assad, and several leaders, businessmen and militia members affiliated with the regime and involved in the drug trade are also on the list.

SECO is also sanctioning several members of the military intelligence service. Among the companies targeted are the Russian engineering and construction company Stroytransgaz and the firm Gecopham, an entity controlled by the Syrian Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources, accused of supporting the regime.

Several security companies used to finance the militias are also targeted as well as their managers. The charitable al-Areen Foundation, headed by the president’s wife Asma al-Assad, is also sanctioned. The foundation distributes aid in accordance with the policies and priorities of the regime, thus taking advantage of and supporting it, SECO said.

EU sanctions on Syria have been taken up by Switzerland since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in March 2011. The EU blacklist now includes 322 individuals and 81 entities.

The SECO list includes 317 people and 82 entities, including the president himself and his wife. These persons are notably targeted by a freeze on their assets and a ban on entering Switzerland. The order also provides for an embargo on military equipment and a ban on the sale of oil and petroleum products.