US imposes sanctions on 8 Syrian prisons over human rights abuses

The US Treasury Department on Wednesday (local time) announced sanctions on eight Syrian prisons run by President Bashar al-Assad's intelligence agencies, citing human rights abuses against political prisoners and other detainees.

The department also sanctioned five senior Syrian government officials who control these detention centres, Voice of America reported.

"The Assad regime has waged a ruthless war against the Syrian people, imprisoning hundreds of thousands of Syrians calling for reform and change, of whom at least 14,000 have been tortured to death," the Treasury Department said in a statement.

"More than 130,000 people reportedly remain missing or arbitrarily detained" by Syrian government security forces, the statement added.

The Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on a Syrian armed group, Ahrar al-Sharqiya, and two of its leaders for abuses against civilians, it further reported.

( With inputs from ANI )

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