Britain on Monday imposed sanctions against two North Korean organizations for their involvement in running prison camps, the first time it has done so without working through the European Union(EU).

The BBC reported that the sanctions targeted the North's Ministry of State Security Bureau and the Ministry of People's Security Correctional Bureau.

Those on the sanctions list are banned from entering the country and channeling money through British banks, or profiting from the U.K. economy. 

British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said in a statement to the Commons that the British government is sending a clear message that those with blood on their hands, the thugs of despots and the henchmen of dictators, will not be free to waltz into Britain. 

The BBC said the new sanctions mark the first independent scheme from the country focused entirely on tackling human rights abuses. Until now, Britain has almost always acted in concert with the EU.