U.K. lifts sanctions against some Syrian government agencies and media outlets
The British government said Thursday it was lifting sanctions against a dozen Syrian entities, including government departments and media outlets, to help the country rebuild after President Bashar Assad was toppled from power in a lightning rebel offensive in December.
The U.K. had put the sanctions in place against those who supported Assad's repressive rule, helped violently suppress civilians and spread misinformation.
'The Syrian people deserve the opportunity to rebuild their country and economy, and a stable Syria is in the U.K.'s national interest,' Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, said in a statement explaining the purpose of lifting the sanctions.
Syria's new leaders have struggled to begin rebuilding the country's decimated economy and infrastructure after nearly 14 years of civil war. The new authorities in Damascus have made a push for harsh sanctions imposed by western countries on Assad's government to be lifted, with limited success.
Financial sanctions and asset freezes were lifted on several government agencies, including the ministries of interior and defense, the Foreign Office said.
Sanctions were also dropped against the General Organization of Radio and TV, a state-run agency that allegedly spread propaganda for Assad and incited violence against civilians. The Foreign Office said it also lifted sanctions against Al Watan, a newspaper, Cham Press TV, and Sama TV, for spreading misinformation.
Sanctions imposed against Assad and associates remain in place and legislation was amended to allow the former leader and others to be held accountable for atrocities committed against Syrians.
In March, the U.K. dropped sanctions against two dozen Syrian businesses, mostly banks and oil companies.
The Trump administration in the U.S. has yet to formally recognize the new Syrian government led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, an Islamist former insurgent who led the offensive that ousted Assad. The militant group al-Sharaa led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, remains a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, and the sanctions imposed on Damascus under Assad remain in place.
However, Washington has eased some restrictions. The U.S. Treasury in January issued a general license, lasting six months, that authorizes certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales and incidental transactions.
The European Union, meanwhile, has begun to ease some energy and transport sanctions and banking restrictions against Syria, suspending measures targeting oil, gas and electricity as well as transport, including the aviation sector.
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STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And, interestingly, all of this comes at a time when he has been cornered over holding elections in the country by the end of December. Yunus' counters and denials on X On Wednesday (June 4), Yunus took to his social media account on X issuing a clarification on the news that the caretaker government had removed the 'freedom fighter' tag for Mujibur Rahman , known as the father of Bangladesh. The apparent move came a day after the government had eroded the legacy of 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by removing his portrait from currency notes and replacing them with cultural landmarks of Bangladesh. Clarifying the news on removing Rahman's freedom fighter tag, Yunus wrote on X, 'The news published in several media outlets including Samakal, Jugantar, Ittefaq and Kalerkanth that the freedom fighter recognition of more than a hundred leaders, including President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Acting President Syed Nazrul Islam, Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed and two ministers Md. Mansur Ali and AHM Kamruzzaman, of the Mujibnagar government has been revoked is completely baseless, false and misleading.' But this is just the tip of the iceberg. On June 3, the 84-year-old interim adviser posted a rebuttal to an Indian column that claimed Bangladesh was now effectively run by Islamist forces cloaking themselves behind the international prestige of Yunus. 'Indian author MD Nalapat penned an op-ed 'Meltdown in Bangladesh Gaining Speed,' published in The Sunday Guardian Live on June 1, 2025, which contain multiple false and unsubstantiated narrative,' wrote Yunus on X, adding, 'The op-ed by MD Nalapat relies heavily on opinion, conjecture, and politically charged narratives rather than verified facts.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Indian author M.D. Nalapat penned an Op-ed "Meltdown in Bangladesh Gaining Speed,' published in The Sunday Guardian Live on June 1, 2025, which contain multiple false and unsubstantiated narrative. Nalapat suggests that Bangladesh has effectively fallen under the control of… — Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh (@ChiefAdviserGoB) June 3, 2025 A minute after Yunus slammed the opinion piece in the Sunday Guardian, he issued a clarification on a news report that stated that 20,000 Bangladeshi militants have joined the Arakan Army. In his explanation, he wrote, 'These claims are entirely false and politically motivated to spread fear and confusion. There are no credible reports, evidence, or official statements supporting the existence of such a large militant recruitment or Dr Yunus's involvement. The propaganda relies exclusively on anonymous, unverified sources. Contrary to the rumors, Bangladesh does not operate any humanitarian corridors with Myanmar, making allegations of arms assistance baseless.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Some social media accounts falsely claim that 20,000 Bangladeshi militants have joined the Arakan Army, recruited through a U.S.-backed network and supplied with weapons and training. They allege funding comes from Jamaat-linked NGOs and foreign-owned garment companies in… — Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh (@ChiefAdviserGoB) June 3, 2025 Interestingly, of the four accounts he tagged, two are parody accounts. Earlier, Yunus also called out Firstpost columnist Omer Ghazi for what he deemed to be a highly 'controversial and propagandistic article' on the Indian news portal. In the piece titled ' How Yunus's capitulation to foreign powers is wrecking Bangladesh's future ', Ghazi accuses him of being 'at best a toothless figurehead' and 'at worst a pliable pawn in the hands of foreign powers'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In his rebuttal, Yunus wrote, 'Dr Yunus is by no means a pawn of foreign powers. There is no credible evidence to suggest that the interim government is serving foreign interests, and the article's author fails to present any proof. On May 30, Indian columnist Omer Ghazi published a highly controversial and propagandistic article in First Post, targeting Bangladesh's Chief Adviser, Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Ghazi accused Dr. Yunus of surrendering to foreign powers and accused him of being responsible for… — Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh (@ChiefAdviserGoB) June 1, 2025 'Ultimately, Omer Ghazi's article merely echoes the defeated Awami League's narrative, reflecting a well-coordinated campaign across social and international media to undermine Bangladesh and the interim government. This propaganda effort seeks to delegitimise the current administration while whitewashing the record of the previous regime.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Keeping with this practice, on May 28, the X account of Yunus also stated that the claim of Myanmar declaring the Bangladesh ambassador as persona non-grata was false. In this case, explaining that the assertion was incorrect, he also blamed deposed Awami League activists and some individuals of Indian origin spreading misinformation. False Claim: Myanmar Has Not Declared Bangladesh Ambassador 'Persona Non-Grata' Recently, several social media accounts have falsely claimed that Myanmar declared Bangladesh's Ambassador, Md. Monowar Hossain, 'Persona Non-Grata' and ordered him to leave the country immediately.… — Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh (@ChiefAdviserGoB) May 28, 2025 And a day before this, Yunus once again took aim at Indian portals, namely News18, Firstpost and IndiaToday, claiming that the reports published by them stating that the Bangladesh army chief was trying to oust him from his position. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Recently, several Indian mainstream media outlets have been persistently spreading false and misleading propaganda involving the Bangladesh Army and the Chief Advisor of the interim government. This disinformation campaign has also proliferated widely on social media platforms,… — Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh (@ChiefAdviserGoB) May 27, 2025 Bigger issues for Yunus It's pertinent to note that Yunus' social media advocacy comes at a time when Bangladesh is poised on the edge of dangerous uncertainty. He continues to cling to power until mid-2026, despite growing political turmoil and calls from opponents and parts of the military to hold a vote and hand reins to an elected government sooner. When asked why he needs more time, the 84-year-old former banker states that he needs the time to carry out reforms to Bangladesh's judiciary, bureaucracy and other institutions. Moreover, the caretaker government has to account for extrajudicial killings, disappearances and other crimes that occurred during ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule. 'We don't want to create another fascist regime coming out of the same rules, the same systems and so on,' Yunus told the Financial Times. 'We want to make sure all this reform agenda is put in practice.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Muhammad Yunus with Bangladesh army chief General Waker Uz Zaman. Multiple reports state that there's friction between the two over the timing of the elections. File image/AFP Many critics of Yunus point out that he remains vague and unclear on a timetable for a new election. Moreover, questions have also been raised about the resurgence of Islamist forces. There's also friction between Yunus and the country's army, namely its chief — General Waker Uz Zaman — over the timing of elections and the idea of a 'humanitarian corridor' between Bangladesh and conflict-ridden Rakhine state in neighbouring Myanmar. Notably, two weeks ago, Yunus had threatened to resign , claiming he was finding it increasingly difficult to work because political parties were unable to reach a common ground. At the time, he reportedly said in the meeting with his advisers that 'what is the point of being the chief advisor if he cannot function properly?' With inputs from agencies
