One of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s cousins was denied a visa by Switzerland’s high court, according to the Swiss NZZ am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday.
Hafez Makhluf, 40, who is the head of state security in the capital Damascus and considered an insider in al-Assad’s power circle, was denied entry by the court due to Swiss-imposed sanctions on Syria.
The newspaper reports that Makhluf was attempting to petition Switzerland to grant him a visa to discuss the sanctions on Syria.
Makhluf is believed to have close ties with President al-Assad’s brother, Maher al-Assad, who is suspected to be leading the bloody crackdown on dissent, which started in March.
The United Nations estimates that more than 5,000 people have been killed in Syria since the unrest began, while activists say that number is much higher. Syria’s government, according to state-run media, claim that the number is much lower and say the bulk of the deaths have been state security forces at the hands of terrorist gangs.
On Sunday, New Year’s Day, the Local Coordination Committees, an activist group, said the first two Syrians of 2012 were killed early this morning in Hama.
