US applies new sanctions to Syrian officials
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Tuesday, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned several Syrian officials and companies, and imposed a new round of sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad’s wife Asma, as a continuation of the US Caesar Act.
Asma Assad had previously been sanctioned in June under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, also known as the Caesar Act, which came into effect in June 2020 and provided for sanctions against the Syrian government. The act was named after a photographer with the codename Caesar, who documented the appalling conditions of Syrian prisons.
According to a statement on the Treasury Department’s website, OFAC sanctioned a Syrian government official and her husband.
The sanctions included Lina Muhammad Nazir al-Kinayeh, the Director of the Follow-Up Office in the Syrian Presidency, as well as her husband Muhammad Hammam Masouti, who is a member of the Syrian People’s Assembly.
Several holdings belonging to Amer Taysir Khiti, who was previously sanctioned on November 9, and multiple companies belonging to both al-Kinayeh and Masouti were designated in Tuesday’s sanctions.
Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin stated, “The Treasury Department will continue to use all of its tools to expose those who stand with the Assad regime and enable these crimes to continue.”
OFAC also added the Central Bank of Syria to Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) to emphasize its status as a blocked entity.