On Monday 14 November, the Council added 17 ministers and the governor of the Central Bank of Syria, Duraid Durgham, to the list of those targeted by EU restrictive measures in connection with the situation in Syria. These people are considered as "being responsible for the violent repression against the civilian population in Syria, benefiting from or supporting the regime, and/or being associated with such persons".
The ministers against whom sanctions have been taken were all appointed to their posts in July 2016, except Minister for Social Affairs Rima Al-Qadiri, who has been in his post since August 2015. The other ministers include Oil and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Ghanem, Minister for Industry Ahmad al-Hamu, and Finance Minister Maamoun Hamdan.
The Council decision entered into force on Monday 14 November with the publication of the legal acts in the Official Journal, following the conclusions of the Council on 17 October 2016. According to the conclusions, the EU was going to act swiftly with the goal of imposing new restrictive measures against Syria targeting Syrian people and entities supporting the regime for as long as the crackdown continued (see EUROPE 11647). With this addition, 234 people are now subject to a visa ban and an assets freeze. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)