New US sanctions against the Syrian President and his family entered into force

The United States imposed sanctions on 39 individuals and entities under the Syrian Civilian Protection Act (“Caesar Act”), signed in December 2019. According to the US State Department, on June 17, the sanctions came into force.

On the sanctions list are those people and companies that Washington believes are benefiting from the Syrian conflict, funding its continuation and helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad obtain technology, goods and services that support his regime.

The list under the “Caesar law” includes Bashar al-Assad himself, his wife Asma al-Assad, younger brother Maher al-Assad and sister Bushra al-Assad.

The Syrian military at the command level of units and organizations, including from other countries, participating in the Syrian conflict on the side of Assad, also fell under the sanctions.

In addition, the list included companies from Damascus that deal with commercial real estate. The sanctions include US travel restrictions and asset freezes.

• The Caesar Law is named after a former Syrian photographer who fled the country in 2014 with 50,000 images of torture in Syrian prisons.