The EU itself asserts that “sanctions are not punitive and instead seek to bring about a change in the policy or conduct of those targeted, with a view to promoting the objectives of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.”

That's the punishment. WTF. He and his family are under arrest and being deprived of their freedoms.

This is like being fired from a job, that job sitting you down and telling you about their workplace rules, keeping you on site, and not paying you. It's like jail, just worse, since you can't even get outside assistance.

What incentive is there for a citizen in this situation have to continue to abide by the rules? If a society doesn't care about their well-being, they shouldn't care about that society. If they are ostracized, they could just as easily denounce the existence of the very rule of law.