Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) submitted a text on Wednesday in the wake of the removal of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad and President Trump’s decision to impose penalties on Syria. This act included stringent sanctions on the country.
Wilson is aiming to repeal the Caesar Syrian Civil Protection Act by proposing amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is typically voted on by the year’s end.
“I’m trying to utilize all available mechanisms to repeal this law as quickly as possible,” Wilson remarked in a statement to The Hill.
“We are optimistic that this repeal will allow for the same legislative process to proceed, as the Caesar Act was initially passed and expanded within the NDAA. If the law remains, it will deter investors from taking the risks required for long-term investments in Syria.”
In May, Trump declared that he had removed all sanctions on Syria, but only granted a 180-day exemption for the Caesar Act, which enables international transactions involving Syrian central banks and government ministries. A full repeal of this law would allow investors to make long-term commitments without the looming possibility of sanctions.
The Caesar Act, passed in 2019, was viewed as a significant measure that instituted strict sanctions against Assad, addressing the severe human rights violations that had occurred since 2011 amid the Syrian civil war.
The bill carries the name of a Syrian whistleblower known as “Caesar,” who revealed the torture and killing of detainees under the Assad regime. He was a photographer who worked with the Syrian army, smuggling photographic evidence of these war crimes.
In December, Congress updated the Caesar Act for an additional five years, shortly before Assad faced a questionable offensive attack.
Supporters of Caesar have been advocating for updates to the 2019 legislation due to discreet negotiations from the prior Biden administration. This allowed for the potential normalization of relations with Assad. Meanwhile, there have been calls for Congress to repeal the law and eliminate sanctions in light of recent developments.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio lifted the terrorist designation for HTS. The State Department is also considering categorizing Syria as a national sponsor of terrorism in light of this repeal.
