Sanctions-hit Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf said security forces were arresting employees at his companies "in an inhumane way" amid pressure on him to step down from his business empire and pay millions of dollars in tax.
Makhlouf, a cousin of President Bashar al-Assad and widely considered part of the president's inner circle, has a business empire that ranges from telecoms and real estate to construction and oil trading. He played a big role in financing Assad's war effort, Western officials have said.
