EU foreign ministers are slapping new sanctions on the wife of Syrian President Bashar Assad, three other Assad family members and eight Syrian government ministers, according to reports.

The new restrictions include a travel ban and the freezing of assets, the Associated Press reported. The wife of the Syrian president, Azma Assad, is a British native and holds British citizenship, so she may still travel to England, AP said.

The point of the new restrictions is to try to bring an end to the Syrian regime’s assault on the Syrian people, EU officials said. An estimated 8,000 people have been killed in Syria since an uprising against the Assad regime began about a year ago. — jta

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