The Obama administration on Friday imposed financial penalties against three top Syrian officials, Syria's intelligence agency and Iran's Revolutionary Guard over the violent crackdown on demonstrators in Syria.
The penalties freeze any assets that the officials, including two relatives of Syrian President Bashar Assad, as well as Syria's General Intelligence Directorate and the Qods Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing business with them.
President Barack Obama authorized the action for what he said was repression and human rights abuses committed by Syrian authorities seeking to quell six weeks of protests.
Activists say more than 500 people have been killed, dozens on Friday alone.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42819032/ns/world_news-mideast/n_africa
