Syria: EU to Impose Sanctions on Asma al-Assad

The European Union is set to add Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, to the official sanctions list which will result in travel ban and asset freeze on Syria's first lady.

Asma will join the other Assad family members who will be formally included in the official list of sanctions imposed by the EU, the Guardian reported, quoting a diplomat.

The decision will be taken when the EU foreign ministers gather in Brussels on Friday.

"Asma al-Assad and several other family members will be added to the sanctions list later at the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, part of efforts to maintain the pressure on the Syrian government," the Guardian quoted the official as saying.

The official denied the latest move as a result of her apparent shopping habits revealed by the leaked emails attributed to her, and maintained that the actions have been in the pipeline for quite some time.

"These are legal measures and we need to make sure everything is accurate," said the official.

The EU sanctions might put a ban on her travel to the UK. This should be quite unsettling for her as she grew up in Acton, West London.

Asma has been widely criticised for her stand in supporting the way her husband is dealing with the Syrian uprising.

According to UN estimates, nearly 8,000 people have lost their lives in the Syrian uprising which started a year ago.