EU sanctions ministers of Syria's Assad regime

By Busra Nur Bilgic Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) - The European Union on Friday imposed sanctions on eight newly appointed ministers of Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime over violent repression against the civilian population.

The sanctions include a travel ban and an asset freeze against the ministers.

With eight more ministers, the number of people who are subjected to EU's sanctions increased to 288. Seventy entities of the Syrian regime are also on the bloc’s list.

The EU first introduced sanctions against the Assad regime in 2011, which also includes a ban on the import of oil in addition to asset freeze and travel ban.

Syria has been ravaged by a multifaceted civil war since early 2011 when the regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.