Written question asked by Baroness Cox (Crossbench) on Monday, 21 November 2022, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 5 December 2022. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Monday, 5 December 2022 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Syria: Sanctions

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to lift all unilateral sanctions on Syria as requested by the UN’s Special Rapporteur for Sanctions.

Answer: The UK will not consider lifting sanctions in Syria until the Assad regime ceases brutalising its own people and regularly committing atrocities and violations of international law, evidenced by the UN Commission of Inquiry ongoing reports. UK sanctions are designed to hold the regime to account, and encourage Assad to engage in the UN-facilitated political process. Our designations are carefully targeted, and applied only where there is ample evidence to demonstrate culpability. To guard against unintentional impact on civilians, UK sanctions include humanitarian provisions, such as licensing grounds and exceptions. We also engage with international NGOs to minimise over-compliance.

Secondary information