Britain has lifted sanctions on Syrian institutions following Bashar Al Assad’s fall and the formation of a new transitional government.
The UK Treasury has removed sanctions targeting major Syrian government bodies that were previously linked to the Assad regime, marking the most significant policy shift since Ahmed Al Sharaa rose to power.
Among the entities delisted are the defence ministry, interior ministry, air force intelligence, political security directorate, and the general intelligence directorate. The asset freeze has also been lifted on the Syrian National Security Bureau and the military intelligence directorate.
Media outlets aligned with the previous government, including Al Watan, Sama TV, Cham Press TV, and the General Organisation of Radio and TV, were also removed from the UK sanctions list.
The move follows an update issued by the Foreign Office last week, formally ending restrictions that had been in place for over a decade.
The policy shift comes after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December. Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia, bringing an end to Baath Party rule that began in 1963.
In January, a transitional administration took control, dissolving Syria’s constitution, military structures, and political institutions. The new government is led by interim President Ahmad Al Shara and includes former opposition figures and civil society leaders.
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The UK’s engagement with the new Syrian authorities has been low-key but constant.
Jonathan Powell, Britain’s National Security Adviser and a former chief of staff under Tony Blair, reportedly met with members of the new administration in a recent visit. Mr Powell’s ties to Syria predate the war, and he has been active in diplomatic efforts involving the region through his NGO work and connections to the Syrian diaspora.
Although no UK minister has visited Damascus since the political transition, Britain is wielding significant influence through informal channels.
British-funded humanitarian groups, returnee-led civil society initiatives, and diaspora experts are all contributing to post-Assad nation-building efforts. According to observers, these initiatives are helping shape justice, governance, and reconstruction policies.
Legal experts from the UK are advising the interim government on accountability and transitional justice. Among them is Ibrahim Al Olabi, an Oxford-educated barrister and founder of the Syrian Legal Development Programme.
He was recently appointed as a legal adviser to the new administration, focusing on human rights and judicial reform.
British-Syrian voices have also taken on formal and informal roles in the emerging government. Razan Saffour, the daughter of former Syrian National Coalition representative Walid Saffour, has travelled with Syrian officials on diplomatic missions to Saudi Arabia and Germany.
She has become a visible advocate of the new government’s openness to international engagement.
Efforts on the ground suggest a growing appetite for reform and international cooperation. Civil society groups that operated in exile or opposition-controlled areas have now returned and are organising workshops and forums on legal reform, governance and social cohesion.
