DISINFO: EU sanctions bypass the UN and hinder efforts to fight coronavirus

Recurring pro-Kremlindisinformation narrative trying to change the nature ofsanctions implemented onSyria. EU sanctions on Syria aretargeted at individuals and entities who ordered or carried out attacks and torture against their own people, made or used chemical weapons, built their personal fortune thanks to the war. EU sanctions are designed in a way that only targets these people and these activities, avoiding any negative impact on the population. See our video here for more details. In 2005, byUN Resolution 1636, the Security Council imposed travel bans and asset freezes on people suspected of being involved in the 14 February 2005 terrorist bombing in Beirut, Lebanon, in which Syria was implicated according to a UN report. The EU implemented those measures by adoptingCouncil Common Position 2005/888/CFSP andCouncil Regulation (EC) No 305/2006. EU sanctions, imposed since 9 May 2011, respond to the repression perpetrated on the Syrian people by the Syrian regime and its supporters, including through the use of live ammunition against peaceful protesters, and the regime’s involvement in the proliferation and use of chemical weapons. On 27 May 2013, the Council of the EU adopted conclusions in which it condemned the violence and the continued widespread andsystematic gross violations of human rights in Syria, which resulted into more restrictive measures against Syriaon 31 May 2013, while the latest sanctions were adopted in May 2020. EU sanctions are not impeding Syria’s medical response to Covid-19. They do not concern medicines, medical equipment or medical assistance provided to the population at large, and they do not prohibit the export to Syria of respirators, disinfectants, hand sanitizers or detergents used to respond to Covid-19. Furthermore, the EU Commission published detailed guidance on how coronavirus-related humanitarian aid can be sent to countries and areas around the world that are subject to EU sanctions. The goal of these measures is to put pressure on the Syrian regime to halt its repression and negotiate a lasting political settlement of the Syrian crisis in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 under UN auspices. They are part and parcel of the EU’s wider approach to the Syria crisis, as outlined in the EU strategy on Syria.