EU Sanctions Against Syria Violate Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law - Damascus

The European Union's sanctions against Syria are a "blatant violation" of human rights and humanitarian international law, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Friday, adding that such a step represents the EU's total dependence on the US' policy

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th May, 2020) The European Union's sanctions against Syria are a "blatant violation" of human rights and humanitarian international law, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Friday, adding that such a step represents the EU's total dependence on the US' policy.

On Thursday, the Council of the European Union extended restrictions against the Syrian government for one year until June 1, 2021. The council removed two people and one company from the list, as they had "halted their sanctionable behavior."

"No wonder that the European Union has decided to renew its sanctions, which had been imposed on Syria, especially when it came after the US similar move. The EU decision confirms lack of independence and the union's humiliating subordination to the US policy," the ministry said in a statement published on its Facebook page.

The EU's step also reaffirms the alliance's participation "in the war against Syria," the ministry added, holding the EU accountable for Syrians' suffering because of the union's "unfair sanctions," which represent "a flagrant violation of human rights and humanitarian international law.

"

Such a decision reveals "hypocrisy, which has become an essential part of European politics," the ministry noted, referring to the statements of EU officials on "easing sanctions over humanitarian assistance" to help Syria combat the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the country's Health Ministry has confirmed 122 coronavirus cases, with four deaths and 43 recoveries.

In mid-May, Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad said that Syria had requested that the World Health Organization intervene to oppose sanctions imposed on Damascus by the United States, as the country struggles to juggle post-war restoration and the fight against the coronavirus outbreak amid obstructed supply chains.

Sanctions against Damascus were initially introduced back in 2011, and since then, the list of restrictive measures has been periodically expanded. As of now, the list includes the country's 273 individuals who are not permitted enter the EU, as well as 70 Syrian organizations.

At the end of June, the EU plans to hold another conference on the Syrian issue, but without the Arab republic's participation itself.