Situation, Facts and Events
22.12.2024

Britain does not rule out lifting Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's terrorist designation

The UK will consider reviewing the status of the Syrian group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is on the list of banned organisations. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Minister for Special Assignments) Pat McFadden stated this in an interview with the Sky News channel.

 

“We will consider it. It will partially depend on how the group acts. But we have not made any decisions over the weekend,” TASS quotes the official as saying. Sky News noted that McFadden’s statements indicate “a possible softening of the UK’s official position on this group”.

 

The UK Home Office website states that, according to the government’s decision from 2017, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham should be treated as an alternative name for the terrorist group Al-Qaeda (banned in Russia), which was added to the list of banned organisations back in March 2001. Thus, belonging to this group or actively supporting it is a criminal offence in the UK, carriying a potential prison sentence of up to 14 years.

 

On 27 November, members of the Syrian opposition armed groups launched a large-scale offensive against government forces in the governorates of Aleppo and Idlib. By the evening of 7 December, opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had captured several major cities, namely Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Daraa, Hama and Homs. On 8 December, they entered Damascus, after which army troops left the city. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad left his post and the country after internal Syrian negotiations.

Source: islam-today.ru