Damascus – May 21, 2025
The Free Syrian Lawyers Association (FSLA) welcomes the decision made by the Foreign Ministers of the European Union member states on May 20, 2025, to lift economic sanctions imposed on Syria. We consider this a positive step in supporting the political transition and the reconstruction of the country after long years of devastation and suffering.
While the European economic sanctions were originally aimed at the former regime and its networks, they have also placed an additional burden on the Syrian people and, in some cases, hindered efforts toward economic recovery and local development. Therefore, lifting these sanctions at this critical stage of the transition reflects the international community’s recognition of the importance of enabling the Syrian people to reclaim their economic sovereignty, build effective institutions, and move toward stability and sustainable development.
We commend France’s supportive stance on this decision, while affirming that lifting sanctions is not a blank check. Rather, it is conditional upon a set of core principles essential for ensuring the success of the transitional phase, foremost among them:
1.Promoting transparency and accountability in the management of both international and domestic resources.
2.Ensuring that economic support reaches local communities, rather than corrupt networks or de facto power groups.
3.Linking economic aid to genuine institutional reforms, with an emphasis on judicial independence and human rights protection.
4.Continuing the pursuit of those responsible for war crimes and gross human rights violations, and refusing any tolerance toward attempts to circumvent justice.
We firmly believe that Syria’s transition cannot be complete without a genuine partnership between national actors and the international community—one rooted in mutual respect, the centrality of rights, and the rule of law, and free from narrow interests or external impositions. International support must be directed toward building a state governed by law and institutions, not toward entrenching the status quo or recycling tools of authoritarianism.
In this context, we welcome the EU’s decision to maintain targeted sanctions against individuals involved in human rights violations and against dual-use goods used in internal repression by the defunct Assad regime. We view this as part of the international community’s obligation to support justice and combat impunity.
We reaffirm our commitment, as partners in justice and representatives of the spirit of the Syrian revolution, to work for a free, united, and democratic Syria—one that upholds the dignity of its citizens and holds accountable all those whose hands are stained with their blood.