Protection of Syrian Religious and Ethnic Minorities Act

This Act may be cited as the “Protection of Syrian Religious and Ethnic Minorities Act”.

(a) Sense of Congress.— It is the sense of Congress that—

(1) the United States supports accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of persecution committed in Syria, including against religious and ethnic minority communities;

(2) reports further indicate ongoing incidents of unlawful detention, ongoing sectarian violence fueled by unpunished hate speech targeting minorities, abduction of women and minors, collective termination from employment, enforced disappearances, intimidation leading to loss of private property and work, covert forced displacements, police abuse of power and government-sponsored looting, forced religious conversions and extrajudicial killings targeting vulnerable religious and ethnic populations;

(3) findings by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and other credible international human rights monitors documenting continuing violations of religious freedom and ethnoreligious persecution;

(4) credible reports indicate that the interim Syrian authorities have failed to adequately include religious and ethnic minorities in governance and transitional processes, have not sufficiently investigated or prosecuted crimes committed against such communities;

(5) continued congressional oversight of the Government of Syria’s progress against specified benchmarks, including through the reporting framework established under section 8369(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (22 U.S.C. 8791 note), is important to ensuring accountability and informing future United States policy toward Syria; and

(6) finally, reports indicate that the interim Syrian authorities have failed to remove foreign fighters from senior roles in the Government of Syria, including those in the state and security institutions of Syria, and instead integrated these fighters into independent divisions.

(b) Statement of policy.— It is the policy of the United States that the President should utilize existing authorities to impose targeted sanctions on specific Syrian officials, security personnel, affiliated militia leaders, and other foreign persons connected to the interim Syrian President or members of the interim cabinet determined to be responsible for, complicit in, or to have materially assisted such abuses.

(c) Report and determination.— Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees—

(1) a report identifying senior Syrian officials and affiliated persons credibly alleged to have participated in, directed, facilitated, or concealed serious human rights abuses or acts of persecution against religious or ethnic minorities; and

(2) a determination as to whether targeted measures described in subsection (d) should be imposed with respect to persons identified in paragraph (1) pursuant to existing United States sanctions authorities.

(d) Measures described.— Measures described in this subsection are the following:

(1) Blocking and freezing property pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.).

(2) A determination of visa ineligibility, visa revocation, denial of entry, or other immigration-related restriction authorized under Federal law.

(3) A restriction relating to access to property, interests in property, or financial transactions subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, as authorized under Federal law.

(4) Any other targeted measure authorized under Federal law relating to terrorism, corruption, war crimes, crimes against humanity, or serious human rights abuses.

(e) Rules of constriction.— Nothing in this section, nor any action taken pursuant to this section, may be construed to—

(1) authorize the prohibition or regulation of the importation of goods into the United States;

(2) require the imposition of any measure described in subsection (d); or

(3) create any new sanctions authority not otherwise authorized under Federal law.