The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Wednesday expanded authorizations for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to engage in certain transactions and activities in Syria. The department amended some of its sanctions against the country in an effort to allow continued humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people. In July, OFAC imposed sanctions on [...]
Search Results for: Bashar al-Assad
US Treasury imposes sanctions on Syria prisons, armed groups
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of Treasury on Wednesday imposed sanctions on eight prisons run by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s intelligence unit for human rights abuses against political prisoners and other detainees. Additionally, OFAC also sanctioned Syrian armed group Ahrar al-Sharqiya and two of its leaders for abuses against civilians [...]
The District Court of The Hague convicted Friday Ahmad al Kehdr, a Syrian refugee and former member of the Syrian military, of war crimes and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. The court possessed video evidence of Al Khedr participating in the execution of a Syrian government official in 2012. Presiding Judge Jan van [...]
Ill-gotten gains complaint filed over Lebanon's alleged corruption and money laundering
The organization Sherpa, whose mission is “to protect and defend victims of economic crimes,” and the Collective of Victims of Fraudulent and Criminal Practices in Lebanon are filing an ill-gotten gains complaint in relation to Lebanon’s alleged money laundering and corruption. The complaint is being lodged with the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office in France. The [...]
Syria stripped of voting rights by chemical weapons watchdog after poisonous gas discovery
Syria was stripped of its voting rights on Wednesday at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), after recent findings evidenced their use of poisonous gas throughout the nation’s civil war. A two-thirds majority of nations voted to strip Syria’s Bashar al Assad regime of its rights and privileges as a member of [...]
Unilateral Humanitarian Interventions and the Legitimate Use of Force Under American Interpretations
The death of Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani, on January 3, 2020, revived the discussions and interpretations regarding national security on the international scene, the “right to protect”, the legitimate defense and the legality of the attack that caused his death through the United States’ unilateral intervention. This is an old worldwide discussion, with countless [...]
French court sentences Bashar al-Assad's uncle for embezzlement
Rifaat al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad’s uncle, on Wednesday was sentenced to four years in prison by a Paris court for embezzling Syrian state funds to buy millions of dollars worth of property throughout France and the United Kingdom. Rifaat has lived in exile, primarily in France and Spain, since being accused of trying to seize power [...]
Unexplored Connections: The Crimes of Saddam Hussein and Israeli-Palestinian Relations
Nullum crimen sine poena, “No crime without a punishment.” – Nuremberg Tribunal, Final Judgment, 1946 Whether formally codified or merely personal, memory must always lie at the heart of justice. Today, however, almost no one remembers the myriad threats and actual missile attacks once launched at Israel from Iraq. Indeed, virtually no one even remembers [...]
EU top court affirms asset freeze of Bashar al-Assad's cousin
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Thursday affirmed a decision to freeze assets of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s cousin, Rami Makhlouf. The ECJ referred to Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/1836 of 12 October 2015 that amended Decision 2013/255/CFSP discussing restrictive measures against Syria. Relying heavily on Article 27 and 28, a travel ban and asset [...]
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) released a report on Tuesday concluding that chemical weapons were “likely used” during the February attacks in Syria. According to the report, the OPCW found chlorine gas in two cylinders and in the environment. Their findings were also supported by eyewitness testimony and the symptoms from [...]