The European Union imposed sanctions Monday, May 23, on Syrian President Bashar Assad over the continuing crackdown on anti-government protesters, in which more than 900 people have reportedly been killed.

Earlier this month, the 27-nation EU sanctioned 13 people with links to the Syrian regime, but Assad was not among them. A European official said at the time that the omission was part of a deliberately gradual approach.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, heading into a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels, said Monday that expanding the sanctions to include the Syrian president was "the right thing to do."

Assad inherited power from his father in 2000. Between the two of them, the Assad family has ruled Syria for 40 years.