The European Union has announced a fresh round of sanctions targeting five individuals closely linked to the Assad regime in Syria, marking a significant move in the ongoing international efforts to hold accountable those responsible for serious human rights abuses. This latest action, aimed at financiers and former military officers accused of enabling and perpetrating atrocities-including the regime’s use of chemical weapons-comes at a sensitive time as Brussels has simultaneously eased some economic sanctions on Syria to support reconstruction efforts.

At the heart of the EU’s latest sanctions are two Syrian-born businessmen, Mudalal and Imad Khoury, brothers with dual Syrian and Russian citizenship, who have long been under international scrutiny. The Khourys are widely believed to have played a pivotal role in financing the Assad regime’s most brutal activities, including its secretive chemical weapons program.

Mudalal Khoury, in particular, has drawn the ire of Western authorities for his alleged involvement in procuring materials used in weapons production. A decade ago, the United States blacklisted Mudalal after accusing him of attempting to acquire ammonium nitrate-a substance used both as a fertilizer and a key ingredient in explosives-on behalf of the Syrian government. The EU’s sanctions now officially designate him for the first time, signaling an intensification of pressure.

Investigations by Global Witness and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) have uncovered a complex network of offshore companies linked to the Khoury brothers. These entities reportedly acted........

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