A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands guard in a prison where men suspected to be afiliated with an Islamic State (IS) group are jailed in the city of Hasakeh, northeast Syria, on Oct 26, 2019. (FADEL SENNA / AFP)
WASHINGTON – The United States on Wednesday said it imposed sanctions on eight prisons run by Syria's intelligence apparatus.
The Treasury Department also slapped sanctions on five Syrian officials who directed the prisons, Syrian armed rebel group Ahrar al-Sharqiya and two of its leaders to try to hold to account those responsible for what it deemed as human rights violations in the country's decade-long civil war.
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As a result of the action, all assets of the targets under US jurisdiction are blocked and US persons are generally barred from dealing with them
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the sanctions were meant to “promote accountability” for the Syrian government’s alleged abuses.
In a statement announcing the sanctions, the Treasury said the prisons "have been sites of human rights abuses against political prisoners and other detainees".
It also accused Ahrar al-Sharqiya of multiple crimes against civilians, especially Syrian Kurds, including unlawful killings, "abductions, torture, and seizures of private property".
As a result of the action, all assets of the targets under US jurisdiction are blocked and US persons are generally barred from dealing with them.
READ MORE: US imposes sanctions on Syrian individuals, entities
In a separate statement, the Treasury said it had imposed sanctions on one Turkey-based al-Qaeda financial facilitator for materially assisting the militant group and one Syria-based terrorist fundraiser and recruiter for providing material support to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), another militant group.
Beyond blocking their assets and barring US persons from dealing with them, these sanctions threaten non-US persons with losing access to the US market if they deal with the two.