EU sanctions 17 Syria ministers, central bank governor

The European Union on Monday placed 17 Syrian ministers plus the central bank governor on a sanctions blacklist targeting the regime of President Bashar Assad over attacks on civilians.

They face travel bans and asset freezes for "being responsible for the violent repression against the civilian population in Syria, benefiting from or supporting the regime, and/or being associated with such persons", an EU statement said.

EU leaders agreed at a summit in October to increase sanctions against the Assad regime, citing devastating attacks on Syria's second city of Aleppo, and added 10 top military and government officials to the list.