UN expert: US should lift sanctions, allow to rebuild Syria

Today, the United Nations Human Rights Expert Alina Dohan called on the United States to remove unilateral sanctions that could prevent rebuilding the Syrian civilian infrastructure destroyed by the conflict.

 

The expert and UN recently appointed special rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights said: “The sanctions violate the human rights of the Syrian people whose country has been devastated after nearly 10 years of continued conflict.”

 

She added: “The conflict and violence have already had a dire impact on the ability of the Syrian people to exercise their basic rights, as it inflicted severe damage to homes, medical units, schools and other facilities.”

 

A comprehensive survey of the US penal code that went into effect in June could target any foreigner helping to rebuild the devastated country, and even foreign company employees and humanitarian workers helping rebuild Syria.

 

The UN expert said: “I am concerned that the sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act may exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in Syria, especially in the context of the Corona pandemic, and expose the Syrian people to a greater risk of human rights violations.”

 

She added: “When it announced the first sanctions under the Caesar Act in June 2020, the United States said that it has no intention of harming the Syrian population. However, the application of the law may exacerbate the existing humanitarian crisis, depriving the Syrian people of the opportunity to rebuild their basic infrastructure.”

 

Alina Dohan warned: “What worries me in particular is the way the Caesar Act deals with human rights, including the rights of the Syrian people to housing, health, a decent standard of living and development. The US government should not put obstacles in the way of rebuilding hospitals because the lack of medical care threatens the right to life of all residents.”

 

“Obstructing access to supplies needed to repair infrastructure damaged by the conflict will have a negative impact on the human rights of the Syrian people and may preserve the harm caused by the decade-long conflict,” Alina Dohan concluded.

 

Source: Agencies