United Nations human rights experts have welcomed the recent lifting of long-standing international sanctions on Syria by the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, and Switzerland, marking a significant turning point after more than 14 years of restrictive measures that they say severely impacted the Syrian population’s fundamental rights and access to essential services.
In a statement released today, the experts hailed the move as a “promising pathway to recovery” and urged Syria’s interim government to place human rights at the centre of the nation’s rebuilding process. The sanctions had originally been imposed in response to widespread human rights violations and international crimes committed by the al-Assad Government during the brutal suppression of pro-democracy protests in 2011 and the subsequent armed conflict.
“Sanctions on Syria are no longer justified for the actions of the al-Assad Government after it was deposed in December 2024,” the experts said. “Their lifting opens promising pathways to recovery. We urge the interim Government to prioritise the reconstruction of sustainable infrastructure and public services to fulfil the wide range of human rights at risk in Syria.”
The al-Assad regime had used brutal tactics to crush the 2011 uprising, including arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings—acts that amounted to crimes against humanity. In response, Western governments introduced sweeping sectoral and financial sanctions targeting Syrian officials, institutions, and key economic sectors such as energy, finance, and transport.
While many of these sanctions contained exemptions for humanitarian purposes, UN experts emphasised that they had significant unintended consequences, severely hampering humanitarian aid delivery and the broader realisation of basic rights across Syrian society.
“The sanctions, although targeted, severely impeded the rights of ordinary Syrians,” the experts noted. “These included the rights to life, food, health, housing, water and sanitation, education, development, and access to essential financial services and the internet.”
According to the experts, the burden of these restrictions disproportionately fell on already vulnerable groups—including women, children, people with disabilities, older persons, migrants, internally displaced persons, rural communities, and religious and ethnic minorities.
The legacy of these hardships has been compounded in recent years by the COVID-19 pandemic, deadly earthquakes in northeastern Syria, and continued political fragmentation. These challenges, the experts said, make urgent and inclusive national recovery efforts all the more critical.
While welcoming the lifting of major sectoral sanctions by the EU and the UK—including those on energy, transport, and banking—they noted that some restrictions remain in place. The EU, for instance, will continue to maintain listings of individuals and entities associated with the former Assad regime until at least 1 June 2026, along with arms embargoes and restrictions on dual-use technologies.
The UK has also followed suit, easing sanctions on major economic sectors while maintaining a watchlist of high-risk individuals. Meanwhile, the United States took a more cautious phased approach, beginning with the issuance of General License 25 (GL 25) in May 2025 by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), allowing American persons to engage in business with Syrian counterparts.
A more substantial rollback came with President Biden’s Executive Order on 30 June 2025, titled “Providing for the Revocation of Syria Sanctions”. The order lifted numerous designations from the US Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN) and introduced pathways for relaxing secondary sanctions under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act. However, sanctions remain in place for individuals linked to war crimes, chemical weapons use, drug trafficking, and terrorism—including Bashar al-Assad, his inner circle, affiliates of the Islamic State (ISIS), and alleged Iranian proxy actors.
The experts urged all countries and institutions involved in Syria’s recovery to uphold the principles of international human rights law. They emphasised that all forms of aid—whether technical, financial, or material—must be distributed equitably and without exacerbating social divisions.
“All types of assistance must respect human rights and non-discrimination,” the experts stated. “This includes avoiding the reinforcement of sectarian, ethnic or religious divides. Reconstruction efforts must incorporate gender-sensitive assessments and consider intersectional vulnerabilities.”
In particular, the experts warned that rebuilding initiatives must not overlook the long-standing grievances of Syria’s most marginalised communities. Recovery efforts, they insisted, must prioritise access to clean water, education, healthcare, and housing—rights that had been severely eroded during the years of war and sanctions.
Beyond economic matters, the experts voiced concern over a recent resurgence of sectarian violence in Sweida province, alongside reports of unlawful military intervention by Israel. The experts called for an immediate ceasefire in the area and urged all parties to allow the Syrian interim authorities to restore order in a manner consistent with international law and human rights norms.
“The fragile peace and opportunity for reconstruction must not be undermined by renewed violence or external interference,” the experts warned.
The lifting of sanctions follows the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, a moment seen by many as a watershed in Syrian politics. The interim Government, formed through a UN-supported transition agreement, has pledged to begin national reconstruction, support displaced populations, and work towards justice and reconciliation.
UN agencies, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), are now expected to scale up support for reconstruction and institutional reform. However, experts warned that international aid alone would not be sufficient. Robust domestic governance, inclusive planning, and accountability mechanisms would be essential for ensuring the legitimacy and effectiveness of the reconstruction process.
“We stand at the beginning of a new chapter for Syria,” the experts concluded. “The lifting of sanctions is a welcome development, but it must now be matched by responsible governance, inclusive policies, and sustained international cooperation grounded in respect for human rights.”
