I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8931 

To impose additional sanctions with respect to Syria, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 10, 2020 

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 

such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To impose additional sanctions with respect to Syria, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Stop the Killing in Syria Act’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA 


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Sec. 101. Sanctions with respect to certain government officials of countries assisting or normalizing relations with Syria. 

Sec. 102. Sanctions with respect to financial institutions operating in Syria and 

certain foreign persons supporting the Government of Syria. 

Sec. 103. Sanctions with respect to certain individuals serving in the Lebanese 

Internal Security Forces and the Lebanese Armed Forces. 

Sec. 104. Sanctions with respect to directors, officers, and other officials employed in Syrian prisons and detention facilities determined to 

be engaged in the use of torture. 

Sec. 105. Mandatory application of sanctions under the Caesar Syria Civilian 

Protection Act of 2019. 

Sec. 106. Limitation on waiver authorities under the Caesar Civilian Protection 

Act of 2019. 

Sec. 107. Measures with respect to areas of Syria controlled by the Government 

of Syria. 

TITLE II—OTHER PROVISIONS 

Sec. 201. Determination and report relating to crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes in Syria. 

Sec. 202. Assessment of potential effectiveness of and requirements for the establishment of a no-fly zone, safe zones, or a no-bombing zone 

in Syria. 

Sec. 203. Report on net worth of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 

Sec. 204. Strategy and report for removing the al-Assad regime from power 

and achieving a transition to a free and democratic Syria. 

Sec. 205. Statement of policy. 

Sec. 206. Prohibition against United States recognition of the al-Assad regime 

in Syria. 

Sec. 207. Report on effect of lifting Iran sanctions on war crimes in Syria. 

Sec. 208. Certification regarding humanitarian aid provided to areas in Syria 

held by the al-Assad regime. 

Sec. 209. Proclamation authority regarding free Syria economic zones. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT4 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com5 mittees’’ means— 

6 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 

7 the Committee on Financial Services of the 

8 House of Representatives; and 


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1 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 

2 and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

3 Urban Affairs of the Senate. 

4 (2) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per5 son’’ has the meaning given that term in section 

6 1262 of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Ac7 countability Act (22 U.S.C. 2656 note). 

8 TITLE I—ADDITIONAL SANC9 TIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

10 SYRIA 

11 SEC. 101. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN GOVERN12 MENT OFFICIALS OF COUNTRIES ASSISTING 

13 OR NORMALIZING RELATIONS WITH SYRIA. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose the 

15 sanctions described in subsection (c) with respect to senior 

16 foreign political figures and other senior government offi17 cials of countries on the lists required by subsection (b)(1). 

18 (b) LISTS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

20 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an21 nually thereafter, the President shall submit to the 

22 appropriate congressional committees— 

23 (A) a list of countries that— 

24 (i) expressly consent to, or with 

25 knowledge allow, the use of their territory 


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1 or financial institutions by the Government 

2 of Syria to assist such government’s war 

3 crimes, including through financing; or 

4 (ii) have a history of facilitating sanc5 tions evasion by the Government of Syria; 

6 (B) a list of countries, including countries 

7 that are members of the League of Arab States, 

8 that have diplomatic relations with Syria, or 

9 that continue to have extensive economic rela10 tions with Syria; and 

11 (C) a list of countries that are considering 

12 and taking steps towards establishing diplo13 matic relations with Syria. 

14 (2) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT.—The Presi15 dent shall include the following countries that have 

16 established diplomatic relations with Syria as part of 

17 the lists required by paragraph (1) until such time 

18 as those countries have ceased having diplomatic re19 lations with the Government of Syria: Egypt, Jor20 dan, Lebanon, Iraq, Oman, and the United Arab 

21 Emirates. 

22 (3) FORM.—The lists required by paragraph (1) 

23 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may 

24 contain a classified annex if necessary. 


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1 (c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de2 scribed in this subsection are— 

3 (1) sanctions applicable with respect to a for4 eign person pursuant to section 7412(b) of the Cae5 sar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 (22 U.S.C. 

6 8791 note); and 

7 (2) sanctions applicable with respect to a for8 eign person pursuant to the Hezbollah International 

9 Financing Prevention Act of 2015 (50 U.S.C. 1701 

10 note). 

11 (d) SENIOR FOREIGN POLITICAL FIGURE DE12 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘senior foreign political 

13 figure’’ has the meaning given that term in section 

14 1010.605 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations. 

15 SEC. 102. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FINANCIAL INSTI16 TUTIONS OPERATING IN SYRIA AND CERTAIN 

17 FOREIGN PERSONS SUPPORTING THE GOV18 ERNMENT OF SYRIA. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose the 

20 sanctions described in subsection (c) with respect to each 

21 financial institution on the list required by subsection 

22 (b)(1)(A) and each person on the list required by sub23 section (b)(1)(B). 

24 (b) LISTS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 

2 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and bi3 annually thereafter, the President shall submit to 

4 the appropriate congressional committees— 

5 (A) a list of financial institutions operating 

6 in Syria; and 

7 (B) a list of foreign persons of China, Leb8 anon, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Oman, Turkey, 

9 Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates 

10 that are involved in business activities with re11 gard to the infrastructure, construction, finan12 cial services, telecommunications, or petroleum 

13 sectors of the Syrian economy. 

14 (2) FORM.—The list required by this subsection 

15 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may 

16 contain a classified annex if necessary. 

17 (c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de18 scribed in this subsection are sanctions applicable with re19 spect to a foreign person pursuant to section 7412(b) of 

20 the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 (22 

21 U.S.C. 8791 note). 


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1 SEC. 103. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN INDIVID2 UALS SERVING IN THE LEBANESE INTERNAL 

3 SECURITY FORCES AND THE LEBANESE 

4 ARMED FORCES. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose the 

6 sanctions described in subsection (c) with respect to each 

7 individual on the list required by subsection (b)(3). 

8 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date 

9 of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit 

10 to the appropriate congressional committees a report 

11 that— 

12 (1) describes efforts by the Government of Leb13 anon to prevent sanctions evasion activities, includ14 ing smuggling efforts to support the Government of 

15 Syria, including an identification of the extent to 

16 which the Government of Lebanon, the Lebanese In17 ternal Security Forces (ISF), and the Lebanese 

18 Armed Forces (LAF) have knowingly permitted, fa19 cilitated, or assisted such efforts; 

20 (2) describes efforts by the Government of Leb21 anon, the ISF, and the LAF have taken to prevent 

22 the forced repatriation of Syrian refugees back to 

23 Syria; and 

24 (3) contains a list of those individuals serving 

25 in the ISF and the LAF that have participated in, 

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1 ernment of Syria in sanctions evasion activities or 

2 smuggling efforts to support the Government of 

3 Syria. 

4 (c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de5 scribed in this subsection are sanctions applicable with re6 spect to a foreign person pursuant to section 1263(b) of 

7 the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act 

8 (22 U.S.C. 2656 note). 

9 SEC. 104. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO DIRECTORS, OFFI10 CERS, AND OTHER OFFICIALS EMPLOYED IN 

11 SYRIAN PRISONS AND DETENTION FACILI12 TIES DETERMINED TO BE ENGAGED IN THE 

13 USE OF TORTURE. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose the 

15 sanctions described in subsection (c) with respect to each 

16 individual on the list required by subsection (b)(2). 

17 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit 

19 to the appropriate congressional committees a report 

20 that— 

21 (1) describes the extent to which torture is used 

22 against detainees in Syrian prisons and detention fa23 cilities; and 

24 (2) contains a list of directors, officers, and 

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1 tion facilities and who have been determined to be 

2 engaged in the use of torture. 

3 (c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de4 scribed in this subsection are sanctions applicable with re5 spect to a foreign person pursuant to section 1263(b) of 

6 the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act 

7 (22 U.S.C. 2656 note). 

8 SEC. 105. MANDATORY APPLICATION OF SANCTIONS 

9 UNDER THE CAESAR SYRIA CIVILIAN PRO10 TECTION ACT OF 2019. 

11 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Con12 gress that— 

13 (1) the Syrian financial and construction sec14 tors are sectors of Syria’s economy which provide fi15 nancial support to the Syrian regime’s malign activi16 ties and crimes against its own people; and 

17 (2) the President should continue to vigorously 

18 enforce the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 

19 2019 to deny the al-Assad regime avenues to fund 

20 its malign activities. 

21 (b) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose the 

22 sanctions described in subsection (d) with respect to each 

23 individual and organization described in subsection (c). 


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1 (c) INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS DE2 SCRIBED.—The individuals and organizations described in 

3 this subsection are the following: 

4 (1) The Badr Organization. 

5 (2) Hadi Al-Ameri, leader of the Badr Organi6 zation. 

7 (3) The Wagner Group. 

8 (4) Major General Abbas Ibrahim of the Leba9 nese General Security Directorate. 

10 (5) The Damascus Securities Exchange. 

11 (6) The Imam Ali Brigades. 

12 (7) The al-Baraka Bank Syria. 

13 (8) The al-Badia Cement Plant. 

14 (9) The Bank Audi Syria. 

15 (10) The International Bank for Trade and Fi16 nance Syria. 

17 (11) The Bank of Syria and Overseas. 

18 (12) The Byblos Bank Syria. 

19 (13) The Real Estate Bank Syria. 

20 (14) The Banque Bemo Saudi Fransi. 

21 (15) The Basy Bank Syria. 

22 (16) The Arab Bank Syria. 

23 (17) The Qatar National Bank–Syria. 

24 (18) The Syria Gulf Bank. 

25 (19) The Fransabank Syria. 


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1 (20) The Parliament of Syria and every mem2 ber of the Parliament of Syria. 

3 (21) EmmaTel Syria. 

4 (22) Daman Sham. 

5 (23) The Central Financial Company for Fi6 nancial Services and Brokerage Syria (IFC). 

7 (24) Cham Capital. 

8 (25) First Global Investments Financial Com9 pany Syria (G1–SY). 

10 (26) Al Aula Company for Financial Investment 

11 Syria. 

12 (27) Alpha Capital for Financial Services. 

13 (28) Asiria Finance. 

14 (d) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de15 scribed in this subsection are sanctions applicable with re16 spect to a foreign person pursuant to section 7412(b) of 

17 the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 (22 

18 U.S.C. 8791 note). 

19 SEC. 106. LIMITATION ON WAIVER AUTHORITIES UNDER 

20 THE CAESAR CIVILIAN PROTECTION ACT OF 

21 2019. 

22 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con23 gress that sanctions relief for the Government of Syria or 

24 a withdrawal of United States military forces in Syria 

25 should not be exchanged as ransom for the release of 


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1 American hostages in Syria because such ransom would 

2 only incentivize hostile regimes around the world to take 

3 American hostages. 

4 (b) IN GENERAL.—Section 7432 of the Caesar Syria 

5 Civilian Protection Act of 2019 (22 U.S.C. 8791 note) is 

6 amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘, for re8 newable periods not to exceed 180 days,’’ and insert9 ing ‘‘, once, for a period not to exceed one year,’’; 

10 and 

11 (2) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘renewable 

12 periods’’ and inserting ‘‘a period’’. 

13 SEC. 107. MEASURES WITH RESPECT TO AREAS OF SYRIA 

14 CONTROLLED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF 

15 SYRIA. 

16 (a) DETERMINATION REGARDING AREAS OF SYRIA

17 CONTROLLED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF SYRIA.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

19 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec20 retary of the Treasury shall determine, under section 

21 5318A of title 31, United States Code, whether rea22 sonable grounds exist for concluding that any of the 

23 jurisdictions of Syria described in paragraph (2) are 

24 jurisdictions of primary money laundering concern. 


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1 (2) JURISDICTIONS DESCRIBED.—The jurisdic2 tions of Syria described in this paragraph are the 

3 following: 

4 (A) The Damascus Governorate. 

5 (B) The Homs Governorate. 

6 (C) The Daraa Governorate. 

7 (D) The Damascus Countryside (Rif 

8 Dimeshq) Governorate. 

9 (E) The Latakia Governorate. 

10 (F) The Tartous Governorate. 

11 (G) The As-Suwayda Governorate. 

12 (b) ENHANCED DUE DILIGENCE AND REPORTING

13 REQUIREMENTS.—If the Secretary of the Treasury deter14 mines under subsection (a) that reasonable grounds exist 

15 for concluding that a jurisdiction of Syria described para16 graph (2) of subsection (a) is a jurisdiction of primary 

17 money laundering concern, the Secretary, in consultation 

18 with the Federal functional regulators (as defined in sec19 tion 509 of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (15 U.S.C. 

20 6809)), shall impose one or more of the special measures 

21 described in section 5318A(b) of title 31, United States 

22 Code, with respect to the jurisdiction. 

23 (c) REPORT REQUIRED.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

25 making a determination under subsection (a) with 


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1 respect to whether a jurisdiction of Syria described 

2 paragraph (2) of subsection (a) is a jurisdiction of 

3 primary money laundering concern, the Secretary of 

4 the Treasury shall submit to the appropriate con5 gressional committees a report that includes the rea6 sons for the determination. 

7 (2) FORM.—A report required by paragraph (1) 

8 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may in9 clude a classified annex. 

10 TITLE II—OTHER PROVISIONS 

11 SEC. 201. DETERMINATION AND REPORT RELATING TO 

12 CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, GENOCIDE, AND 

13 WAR CRIMES IN SYRIA. 

14 (a) DETERMINATION.—The Secretary of State shall 

15 make a determination with respect to each of the fol16 lowing: 

17 (1) Whether the al-Assad regime’s intentional 

18 barrel bombs dropped on the civilian population of 

19 Syria, the ‘‘starve or surrender’’ campaign of sieges 

20 throughout the Syrian conflict, or the campaign of 

21 forced displacement and widespread torture, particu22 larly against the Sunni Muslim population of Syria, 

23 can be considered systematic and widespread and 

24 therefore constitutes crimes against humanity or 


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1 constitutes genocide as defined in subsection (a) of 

2 section 1091 of title 18, United States Code. 

3 (2) Whether Iran, Hezbollah, and Iranian4 backed militias’ sectarian cleansing campaigns espe5 cially in the Damascus suburbs, particularly against 

6 the Sunni Muslim population of Syria, can be con7 sidered systematic and widespread and therefore 

8 constitutes crimes against humanity or constitutes 

9 genocide as defined in subsection (a) of section 1091 

10 of title 18, United States Code. 

11 (3) Whether the al-Assad regime’s and the Rus12 sian Federation’s intentional targeting of hospitals 

13 and relief workers, constitutes a war crime as de14 fined in section 2441 of title 18 of the United States 

15 Code. 

16 (b) REPORT.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

18 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

19 of State shall submit to the appropriate congres20 sional committees and make available to the public 

21 a report that contains each determination made 

22 under subsection (a). 

23 (2) FORM.— 

24 (A) IN GENERAL.—The report required by 

25 paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified 


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1 form, but may contain a classified annex if nec2 essary. 

3 (B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMA4 TION.—The unclassified portion of such report 

5 shall be made available on a publicly available 

6 internet website of the Federal Government. 

7 SEC. 202. ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL EFFECTIVENESS OF 

8 AND REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ESTABLISH9 MENT OF A NO-FLY ZONE, SAFE ZONES, OR A 

10 NO-BOMBING ZONE IN SYRIA. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

12 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall sub13 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 

14 that— 

15 (1) assesses the potential effectiveness, risks, 

16 and operational requirements of the establishment 

17 and maintenance of a no-fly zone over part or all of 

18 Syria, especially Idlib Province, to protect civilians 

19 from continuing al-Assad regime and Russian air 

20 strikes, including— 

21 (A) the operational and legal requirements 

22 for United States and coalition air power to es23 tablish a no-fly zone over part or all of Syria; 

24 (B) the impact a no-fly zone over part or 

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1 vilians, the prevention of a refugee crisis, the 

2 removal of the al-Assad regime, and humani3 tarian and counterterrorism efforts in Syria and 

4 the surrounding region; and 

5 (C) the potential for force contributions 

6 from other countries to establish a no-fly zone 

7 over part or all of Syria; 

8 (2) assesses the potential effectiveness, risks, 

9 and operational requirements for the establishment 

10 of one or more safe zones in Syria for internally dis11 placed persons or for the facilitation of humani12 tarian assistance, including— 

13 (A) the operational and legal requirements 

14 for United States and coalition forces to estab15 lish one or more safe zones in Syria; 

16 (B) the impact one or more safe zones in 

17 Syria would have on humanitarian and counter18 terrorism efforts in Syria and the surrounding 

19 region; and 

20 (C) the potential for contributions from 

21 other countries and vetted non-state actor part22 ners to establish and maintain one or more safe 

23 zones in Syria; and 

24 (3) assesses the potential effectiveness, risks, 

25 and operational requirements of the establishment 


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1 and maintenance of a no-bombing zone over part or 

2 all of Syria, including— 

3 (A) the operational and legal requirements 

4 for United States and coalition air power to es5 tablish a no-bombing zone over part or all of 

6 Syria; 

7 (B) the impact a no-bombing zone over 

8 part or all of Syria would have on humanitarian 

9 and counterterrorism efforts in Syria and the 

10 surrounding region; and 

11 (C) the potential for force contributions 

12 from other countries to establish a no-bombing 

13 zone over part or all of Syria. 

14 (b) FORM.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The report required by sub16 section (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 

17 but may contain a classified annex if necessary. 

18 (2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.— 

19 The unclassified portion of such report shall be 

20 made available on a publicly available internet 

21 website of the Federal Government. 

22 SEC. 203. REPORT ON NET WORTH OF SYRIAN PRESIDENT 

23 BASHAR AL-ASSAD. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

25 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 


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1 in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the 

2 Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the ap3 propriate congressional committees a report on the esti4 mated net worth and known sources of income of Syrian 

5 President Bashar al-Assad and his family members (in6 cluding spouse, children, siblings, and paternal and mater7 nal cousins), including assets, investments, other business 

8 interests, and relevant beneficial ownership information. 

9 (b) FORM.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The report required by sub11 section (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 

12 but may contain a classified annex if necessary. 

13 (2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.— 

14 The unclassified portion of such report shall be 

15 made available on a publicly available internet 

16 website of the Federal Government. 

17 SEC. 204. STRATEGY AND REPORT FOR REMOVING THE AL18 ASSAD REGIME FROM POWER AND ACHIEV19 ING A TRANSITION TO A FREE AND DEMO20 CRATIC SYRIA. 

21 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con22 gress that there is no solution to the conflict in Syria as 

23 long as the regime led by Bashar al-Assad remains in 

24 power and that any attempts to rehabilitate the regime 

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1 lowing Bashar al-Assad to run in elections are unrealistic 

2 and doomed to fail. 

3 (b) STRATEGY.—The Secretary of State, in consulta4 tion with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary 

5 of Defense, shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

6 committees a strategy for removing the al-Assad regime 

7 from power and achieving a transition to a free and demo8 cratic Syria. The strategy shall contain the following ele9 ments: 

10 (1) A description of how all elements of power 

11 can be utilized to achieve an irreversible political 

12 transition in Syria which would remove the al-Assad 

13 regime from power, and bring about a free and 

14 democratic Syria. 

15 (2) A description of what steps can be taken to 

16 ensure women’s rights, as well as the rights of 

17 Christians, Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turkomen, 

18 Alawis, Ismailis, Druze, and other ethnic or religious 

19 minorities can be protected in Syria. 

20 (3) A description of how to protect Syrian civil21 ians from aerial bombardment by the al-Assad re22 gime and Russia. 

23 (4) A description of how economic sanctions can 

24 be utilized and enhanced to prevent funding of and 

25 normalization with the al-Assad regime especially 


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1 with regards to senior officials, and business entities 

2 of Arab countries which diplomatically recognize the 

3 al-Assad regime, including the governments of the 

4 United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, 

5 and Iraq. 

6 (5) A description regarding what steps can be 

7 taken to secure the freedom of thousands of political 

8 prisoners languishing in the prisons of the al-Assad 

9 regime as well as to free detained American hostages 

10 including Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, and others, 

11 while not trading sanctions relief or diplomatic rec12 ognition of the al-Assad regime as ransom for the 

13 release of any hostages. 

14 (6) A description about whether United Nations 

15 aid to regime held areas in Syria is diverted from ci16 vilians and benefits the al-Assad regime, and how 

17 such assistance can be discontinued. 

18 (7) A description of how Iran and its backed 

19 militias especially the Iraqi Badr Corps, Kata’ib 

20 Hezbollah, Fatemiyoun, Zainabiyoun, ‘AsaibAhl al21 Haq, and others can be removed from Syria. 

22 (8) A description of what steps can be utilized 

23 to bring about a reduction in Russian influence can 

24 be curbed in Syria and a withdrawal of Russian 

25 forces. 


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1 (9) A description of what steps can be utilized 

2 to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS, al-Qaeda, and 

3 other Salafi-jihadi organizations in Syria. 

4 (10) An assessment of Russian and Iranian in5 fluence and objectives in Syria and the potential 

6 threat such influence poses to the United States. 

7 (c) REPORT.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 

9 after the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

10 State shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

11 committees and make available to the public a report 

12 that contains the strategy required by subsection 

13 (a). 

14 (2) FORM.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—The report required by 

16 paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified 

17 form, but may contain a classified annex if nec18 essary. 

19 (B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMA20 TION.—The unclassified portion of such report 

21 shall be made available on a publicly available 

22 internet website of the Federal Government. 


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1 SEC. 205. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

2 Section 7402 of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection 

3 Act of 2019 (22 U.S.C. 8791 note) is amended is amended 

4 to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 7402. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

6 ‘‘It is the policy of the United States— 

7 ‘‘(1) to support the Syrian people in their ef8 forts to remove the regime of Bashar al-Assad from 

9 power and bring about a transition to a free and 

10 democratic government in Syria existing in peace 

11 and security with its neighbors; 

12 ‘‘(2) that all diplomatic and coercive economic 

13 means must be utilized to compel the al-Assad re14 gime to immediately halt the wholesale slaughter of 

15 the Syrian people; 

16 ‘‘(3) to support the human rights of all Syrians, 

17 including women and ethnic and religious minorities, 

18 to live in peace and dignity in a free and democratic 

19 Syria; 

20 ‘‘(4) that political negotiations regarding the fu21 ture of Syria or its constitution, including the con22 stitutional committee, must be preceded by an en23 during national ceasefire in Syria; 

24 ‘‘(5) that safe zones and no-fly zones should be 

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1 gime and the Russian Federation, and to help stem 

2 the refugee crisis by allowing Syrian civilians to stay 

3 in their homes, and making it easier for Syrian refu4 gees to return home; 

5 ‘‘(6) to work toward the withdrawal of all for6 eign forces in Syria; 

7 ‘‘(7) to reject working with Russia to eject Ira8 nian forces in Syria; and 

9 ‘‘(8) to end any taxpayer-funded humanitarian 

10 assistance to Syria which is diverted by the al-Assad 

11 regime to fund its war crimes.’’. 

12 SEC. 206. PROHIBITION AGAINST UNITED STATES RECOGNI13 TION OF THE AL-ASSAD REGIME IN SYRIA. 

14 (a) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 

15 United States not to recognize any Syrian government led 

16 by Bashar al-Assad or the legitimacy of Bashar al-Assad 

17 to be President of Syria or ever participate in any future 

18 election in Syria or in any Syrian government. 

19 (b) PROHIBITION.—In accordance with subsection 

20 (a), no Federal department or agency may take any action 

21 or extend any assistance that implies recognition of 

22 Bashar al-Assad or any Syrian government led by Bashar 

23 al-Assad, or which supports the participation of Bashar 

24 al-Assad in any future election in Syria. 


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1 SEC. 207. REPORT ON EFFECT OF LIFTING IRAN SANC2 TIONS ON WAR CRIMES IN SYRIA. 

3 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con4 gress that— 

5 (1) the maximum pressure campaign carried 

6 out by the United States against Iran has reduced 

7 the resources available for Iran and the al-Assad re8 gime to carry out war crimes in Syria; and 

9 (2) a condition for the lifting of the sanctions 

10 that are a part of such maximum pressure campaign 

11 should continue to include the demand that Iran 

12 ceases its destabilizing activities in Syria and with13 draws all of its forces and commanded militias from 

14 the country. 

15 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date 

16 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 

17 consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall sub18 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 

19 on— 

20 (1) the status of United States bilateral sanc21 tions on Iran; 

22 (2) the reimposition and renewed enforcement 

23 of secondary sanctions on Iran; 

24 (3) the impact such sanctions have had on 

25 Iran’s support to the al-Assad regime in Syria; 


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1 (4) the impact that lifting such sanctions would 

2 have on Iran’s ability to commit human rights 

3 abuses against the people of Syria, including 

4 through a detailed description of whether or not lift5 ing such sanctions would increase the resources 

6 available for Iran to support gross human rights 

7 abuses, including torture, extrajudicial killings, and 

8 the killing of protesters in Syria; and 

9 (5) the impact that lifting such sanctions would 

10 have on the funds available for the al-Assad regime 

11 to commit gross human rights abuses. 

12 SEC. 208. CERTIFICATION REGARDING HUMANITARIAN AID 

13 PROVIDED TO AREAS IN SYRIA HELD BY THE 

14 AL-ASSAD REGIME. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

16 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 

17 shall certify to the appropriate congressional committees 

18 whether United Nations agency programming, including 

19 any program or project, in Syria funded in whole or in 

20 part by the United States— 

21 (1) is delivered impartially, without hindrance, 

22 to the areas of greatest need; 

23 (2) does not directly materially support the 

24 Government of Syria or entities owned or controlled 

25 by the Syrian government, Syrian government offiVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:35 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8931.IH H8931

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•HR 8931 IH

1 cials, their immediate families, or entities under 

2 their direction; 

3 (3) does not directly materially support associ4 ated forces of the Government of Syria or entities 

5 owned or controlled by the Syrian government; 

6 (4) adheres to the United Nations Supplier 

7 Code of Conduct, which states that the United Na8 tions must not support, directly or indirectly, other 

9 entities and individuals involved in human rights 

10 abuses, and which requires United Nations agencies 

11 to secure guarantees from suppliers that ‘‘they are 

12 not complicit in human rights abuses’’; and 

13 (5) is vetted by an independent mechanism that 

14 reviews contract procurement in Syrian government15 held areas. 

16 (b) FUNDING LIMITATION AND REDIRECTION.—If 

17 the Secretary of State makes a certification described in 

18 subsection (a) in the negative— 

19 (1) no Federal department or agency may pro20 vide any funding, directly or indirectly, to any 

21 United Nations agency programming, including any 

22 program or project, in Syria that fails to meet the 

23 criteria of the certification specified in subsection 

24 (a); and 


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1 (2) amounts made available to the Secretary of 

2 State that are withheld from United Nations agency 

3 programming, including any program or project, in 

4 Syria in accordance with paragraph (1) shall be 

5 made available to the Administrator of the United 

6 States Agency for International Development’s Of7 fice of Foreign Disaster Assistance for providing as8 sistance to populations in Syria in need. 

9 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

10 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT11 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com12 mittees’’ means— 

13 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 

14 the Committee on Appropriations of the House 

15 of Representatives; and 

16 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 

17 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

18 Senate. 

19 (2) ASSOCIATED FORCES.—The term ‘‘associ20 ated forces’’ includes forces of the Government of 

21 Russia, forces of the Government of Iran, Iranian22 backed proxy militias, and Hezbollah. 


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1 SEC. 209. PROCLAMATION AUTHORITY REGARDING FREE 

2 SYRIA ECONOMIC ZONES. 

3 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Con4 gress that— 

5 (1) enhanced trade with areas of Syria that are 

6 not under the al-Assad regime’s control could help 

7 economically develop such areas, strengthen civil so8 ciety, and ultimately help achieve a transition to a 

9 free and democratic Syria; 

10 (2) the President should work to— 

11 (A) economically integrate areas of Syria 

12 that are not under the al-Assad regime’s con13 trol, including in both northeast and northwest 

14 Syria, in order to promote trade among such 

15 areas and with United States allies in the re16 gion; and 

17 (B) economically reduce the dependence of 

18 such areas on the al-Assad regime. 

19 (b) ELIMINATION OR MODIFICATIONS OF DUTIES.— 

20 The President is authorized to proclaim elimination or 

21 modification of any existing duty as the President deter22 mines is necessary to exempt any article from duty if that 

23 article is wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of 

24 a free Syria economic zone or is a new or different article 

25 of commerce that has been grown, produced, or manufac26 tured in a free Syria economic zone. 


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1 (c) WAIVER OF SANCTIONS.—Notwithstanding any 

2 other provision of law, the President is authorized to waive 

3 the imposition of sanctions under any provision of law in 

4 order to provide for the importation into the United States 

5 of any article described in subsection (b) and to exempt 

6 such article from duty in accordance with the provisions 

7 of subsection (b). 

8 (d) DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED.—An article is eligi9 ble for the duty exemption under this section only if— 

10 (1) the importer certifies that the article meets 

11 the conditions for the duty exemption; and 

12 (2) when requested by U.S. Customs and Bor13 der Protection, the importer, manufacturer, or ex14 porter submits a declaration setting forth all perti15 nent information with respect to the article, includ16 ing the following: 

17 (A) A description of the article, quantity, 

18 numbers, and marks of packages, invoice num19 bers, and bills of lading. 

20 (B) A description of the operations per21 formed in the production of the article in a free 

22 Syria economic zone and identification of the 

23 direct costs of processing operations. 

24 (C) A description of any materials used in 

25 production of the article which are wholly the 


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1 growth, product, or manufacture of free Syria 

2 economic zones, and a statement as to the cost 

3 or value of such materials. 

4 (D) A description of the operations per5 formed on, and a statement as to the origin and 

6 cost or value of, any foreign materials used in 

7 the article which are claimed to have been suffi8 ciently processed in the free Syria economic 

9 zone so as to be materials produced in the free 

10 Syria economic zone. 

11 (E) A description of the origin and cost or 

12 value of any foreign materials used in the arti13 cle which have not been substantially trans14 formed in the free Syria economic zone. 

15 (e) FREE SYRIA ECONOMIC ZONE DEFINED.—In this 

16 section, the term ‘‘free Syria economic zone’’ means any 

17 area that— 

18 (1) encompasses portions of the territory of 

19 Syria; 

20 (2) is not under the control of the Government 

21 of Syria, the Government of Iran, the Government 

22 of Russia, or any organization designated as a for23 eign terrorist organization under section 219 of the 

24 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189), 

25 including— 


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1 (A) the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham 

2 (ISIS); 

3 (B) Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham; the al-Nusra 

4 Front; and 

5 (C) Jabhat Fatah al-Sham; and 

6 (3) has been specified by the President as a 

7 free Syria economic zone. 

Æ 


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