The Hamza Division, another armed opposition group operating in northern Syria, has been involved in abductions, theft of property, and torture. The division also operates detention facilities in which it houses those it has abducted for extended periods of time. During their imprisonment, victims are held for ransom, often suffering sexual abuse at the hands of Hamza Division fighters.
The Suleiman Shah Brigade and the Hamza Division are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13894 for being responsible for or complicit in, or for having directly or indirectly engaged in, the commission of serious human rights abuses against the Syrian people.Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr is the leader of the Hamza Division and its public face, appearing in numerous propaganda videos produced by the Hamza Division. While Abu Bakr has been commander, the Hamza Division has been accused of brutal repression of the local population, including kidnapping Kurdish women and severely abusing prisoners, at times leading to their death.
Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13894 for acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Hamza Division.
On June 30, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (E.O. of June 30, 2025) that removes U.S. sanctions on Syria, effective July 1, 2025. Sanctions will remain on Bashar al-Assad and his associates, human rights abusers, Captagon traffickers, persons linked to Syria's past proliferation activities, ISIS and Al-Qa'ida affiliates, and Iran and its proxies. OFAC previously issued Syria General License (GL) 25, which authorizes transactions otherwise prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 542 (SySR). To the extent still necessary, persons may continue to rely on GL 25 and the related Syria GL 25 Fact Sheet, which OFAC originally issued on May 28, 2025.
Revocation of sanctions authorities with respect to Syria: E.O. of June 30, 2025 revokes the following six Executive orders that form the foundation of the Syria sanctions program and terminates the national emergency underlying those Executive orders, effective July 1, 2025: E.O. 13338 of May 11, 2004; E.O. 13399 of April 25, 2006; E.O. 13460 of February 13, 2008; E.O. 13572 of April 29, 2011; E.O. 13573 of May 18, 2011; and E.O. 13582 of August 17, 2011.
As a result, OFAC will remove the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 542 (SySR) from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) following the July 1, 2025 revocation. Persons designated solely pursuant to these orders have been removed from OFAC's List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List). Certain persons, including Bashar al-Assad and certain other destabilizing regional actors, will remain on the SDN List if they have also been designated under a different sanctions authority, including new designations under E.O. 13894, as further amended by E.O. of June 30, 2025.
Additional action and relief for Syria in E.O. of June 30, 2025:
Caesar Act Suspension: Directs the Secretary of State to examine whether to suspend the imposition of some or all of the sanctions required under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 (Caesar Act). This follows the May 23, 2025 action by the Secretary of State to waive the imposition of certain sanctions described in the Caesar Act for 180 days.
Export Controls: Waives the requirements to impose certain export controls under the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 and the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (CBW Act).
Counterterrorism and SST Designations: Directs the Secretary of State to take all appropriate action with respect to the designation of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) and Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), as well as the SDGT designation of Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani, and Syria's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
Assistance Restriction and Sanctions Waiver: Waives restrictions on Syria related to foreign assistance, U.S. government credit or other financial assistance, and loans and credit from U.S. financial institutions under the CBW Act.
Please consult the Departments of State and Commerce for information on these actions.
Maintaining sanctions on Assad and certain other destabilizing regional actors:
To maintain sanctions on Bashar al-Assad and certain other destabilizing regional actors, E.O. of June 30, 2025 also expands the scope of the national emergency declared in E.O. 13894 and further amends the criteria therein for the imposition of sanctions on Bashar al-Assad and his associates, human rights abusers, Captagon drug traffickers, and certain other destabilizing regional actors. Additional authorities maintain sanctions on other actors in Syria and the region, including those supporting terrorism, Iran and its proxies, and Syria's past proliferation activities.
