Do Sanctions on Assad’s Supporters Need to be Increased? (H.R. 5732)

What is H.R. 5732?

(Updated March 4, 2018)

This bill would impose new sanctions on supporters of the Assad regime in Syria, encourage negotiations to end the crisis, and begin investigations that will eventually lead to the prosecution of war criminals.

It would impose new sanctions on anyone who:

• Does business with or provides financing to the Syrian government, its intelligence or security services, or the Central Bank of Syria;

• Provides aircraft or spare parts (or financing for either) to Syria’s airlines;

• Does business with transportation or telecommunications businesses controlled by the Syrian government;

• Supports Syria’s energy industry.

The president would be able to waive sanctions on a case-by-case basis. Sanctions could also be suspended if the parties to the conflict engage in meaningful negotiations and the violence against civilians has ceased. The suspension would be renewable if it is critical to the continuation of negotiations and attacks against civilians have ceased.

The Secretary of State would be authorized to support entities that are collecting and preserving evidence for the eventual prosecution of those who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria. The president would be required to give Congress a report with the names of those who are responsible for or are complicit with violating the human rights of the Syrian people.

The bill would also require the president to submit a report on the potential effectiveness, risks, and operational requirements of establishing and maintaining a no-fly zone or safe zone over part or all of Syria.

Argument in favor

America needs to take a leadership role in ending the conflict in Syria peacefully. By giving Assad’s supporters a choice between increased sanctions or peace negotiations this will save the lives of innocent Syrians and allow war criminals to be brought to justice.

Argument opposed

The U.S. shouldn’t be further involving itself in the Syrian conflict by sanctioning supporters of the Assad regime. Besides, there’s no guarantee that this bill would actually do anything to stop the regime and its Russian supporters from committing more war crimes.

Impact

Syrian civilians; supporters of the Assad regime and those who will be investigated for war crimes; parties to potential peace negotiations; Congress; and the president.

Cost of H.R. 5732

The CBO estimates that enacting this bill would cost $3 million over the 2017-2021 period due to additional staffing and administrative costs.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) introduced this bill to hold the Assad regime accountable for its crimes and encourage negotiations to end the conflict which has killed nearly 89,000 civilians:

“American leadership is desperately needed to help bring this conflict to an end. Our legislation would crack down on anyone who is still doing business with the Assad regime, while leaving room for meaningful negotiations to move forward. It would also help ensure that down the road, anyone responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity is held accountable.”

The bill known as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act in honor of a former Syrian military photographer who defected after documenting Assad’s crimes.

This legislation was passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on a voice vote, and has the support of 70 bipartisan cosponsors in the House — including 37 Democrats and 33 Republicans.

Media:

• House Foreign Affairs Committee Press Release
  
• CBO Cost Estimate
  
• Washington Post