Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The United States has introduced a sanctions category
to stop oppression by Iran and Syria.

On April 23, President Barack Obama signed an executive order for
financial and travel sanctions on Iranian and Syrian officials who use
technology for repression. The sanctions cited the use of such technology as
Global Positioning System, satellite communications, mobile phone and
Internet.

“The Syrian and Iranian governments are rapidly increasing their
capabilities to disrupt, monitor and track communications networks that are essential to the ability of Syrians and Iranians to communicate with each other and the outside world,” the White House said.

The executive order, issued amid mounting calls for the administration to stop the killing by the Damascus regime, designated Syria’s intelligence director as well as the Iranian Intelligence Ministry for deploying technology for the crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. The White House said the sanctions would seek to “degrade the ability of the Syrian and Iranian governments to acquire and utilize such technology to oppress their
people.”

“The order authorizes sanctions against persons determined to have
operated, or to have directed the operation of, information and
communications technology that facilitates computer or network disruption,
monitoring or tracking that could assist in or enable serious human rights
abuses by or on behalf of the government of Iran or the government of
Syria,” the White House said.

Officials said the latest sanctions category would penalize those who
sell technology or services that could be used to oppress civilians in Iran
or Syria. They said several countries, including China and European Union
states, were still supplying technology to the regime of Syrian President
Assad.

“The order also authorizes sanctions against third-country entities or
individuals where they meet the criteria in the order,” the White House
said.

  Barack Obama, Bashar Assad, Damascus regime, Global Positioning System, Iran, Iranian Intelligence Ministry, mobile phone and Internet, U.S. sanctions technology for suppression by Syria