US sanctions pursue Bashar al-Assad’s father-in-law

The United States announced on Monday the imposition of sanctions on Fawaz al-Akhras, Bashar al-Assad’s son-in-law.
This comes the day after reports that the former Syrian president fled to Russia, after opposition factions took control of the capital, Damascus.

The departure of Bashar al-Assad

Bashar al-Assad’s sudden departure led to the end of more than five decades of his family’s rule of a country torn apart by one of the bloodiest wars of the century.
The US Treasury Department announced the inclusion of Fawaz Al-Akhras on the sanctions list due to “providing support and facilitation to Bashar al-Assad regarding financial matters and evading sanctions.”
Al-Akhras was born in the city of Homs in September 1946, and holds dual Syrian and British citizenship, according to the Treasury Department’s list of sanctioned individuals.

Bashar al-Assad’s wife

He is also a doctor specializing in cardiology, and practiced medicine in London, where his daughter, Asmaa, the wife of the ousted president, was born.
Al-Akhras, whose registered address is in a modest house in west London, was placed on a US sanctions list in 2020, along with Asma, his wife Sahar, and a number of other family members.