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The European Union Imposes Sanctions on Suhail Al-Hassan, Ghaith Dala, and Mudad Fatiha
The Council of the European Union announced yesterday, Monday, the adoption of restrictive measures under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against five Syrians accused of committing "serious violations and abuses" of human rights in Syria.
The Council’s statement indicated that the new sanctions lists include three former members of the Syrian Republican Guard and the army: Mudad Fatiha, Ghaith Dala, and Suhail Al-Hassan. They are alleged to have engaged in acts of violence in the Syrian coastal region in March 2025 and supported the use of chemical weapons against civilians under the previous Assad regime.
The statement reported that these officials are responsible for severe human rights violations, including torture, extrajudicial killings, and harsh treatment of detainees. They also participated in the wave of violence that swept through the region, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians.
Additionally, the three contributed to the formation of militias after the fall of the Assad regime, which fueled sectarian tensions and violence, leading to numerous civilian casualties.
Moreover, the Council listed two Syrian businessmen, Madlul Khoury and Imad Khoury, due to their support for the former Assad regime. Their commercial interests in Russia facilitated their involvement in financing crimes against humanity, including the use of chemical weapons.
The restrictive measures include asset freezes, a ban on providing funds to them or any entities they belong to directly or indirectly, and travel bans to the European Union.
The Council emphasized that monitoring on-the-ground developments continues and expressed readiness to impose further sanctions on human rights violators and sources of destabilization in Syria.
Under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, established in December 2020, the European Union can target individuals and entities involved in serious human rights violations worldwide. Currently, it applies to 123 individuals and 36 entities.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry welcomed the EU decision, expressing the international community’s recognition of the extensive violations committed by these officials and their roles in fueling the events in the Syrian coast. The ministry also affirmed that the investigation committee into these incidents is close to concluding its work and that perpetrators will be brought to justice.
The Syrian government reiterated its commitment to pursue those involved in these crimes, both domestically and internationally, to ensure justice for the victims.
In a related context, the EU added in May two individuals and three entities to its Syria-specific sanctions list due to their involvement in the events in the Syrian coast in March 2025. The sanctions targeted leaders such as Mohammed Hussein Al-Jassem (known as "Abu Amsha") and Saif Boulad ("Abu Bakr"), who were responsible for serious violations, including extrajudicial killings in the coastal region.
The sanctions pointed out that the entities linked to these leaders, such as "Liwa Sultan Suleiman Shah," "Al-Hamzat," and "Sultan Murad," were responsible for widespread violence and violations that led to the death of over 800 people outside the legal framework during the period from March 6 to March 10, 2025, in one of the worst waves of violence in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
