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Syrian Government’s Asset Freezes Target Hundreds of Residents
A report by Human Rights Watch has revealed that the Syrian government has been targeting hundreds of residents from a town south of Damascus with unlawful asset freezes since early 2024. The en masse freezes constitute collective punishment and a violation of the right to property.
Massive Asset Freezes in Zakia
According to the report, the decisions are based on a 2012 decree that empowers the Finance Ministry to freeze assets of individuals pending investigation for suspected terrorism under Syria’s overbroad counterterrorism law, even if they have not been charged with a crime.
“This is a deliberate policy aimed at maintaining a climate of fear and repression in former opposition areas,” said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The indiscriminate nature of these mass asset freezes in Zakia appears to reflect a broader strategy of collective punishment against communities in recaptured areas.”
Details of the Report
Human Rights Watch reviewed “precautionary seizure” decisions issued between January and June that targeted hundreds of people from Zakia, a town retaken by government forces from opposition groups in 2016. The report found that out of the 818 individuals listed in the available “precautionary seizure orders,” 287 had previously signed documents permitting them to remain in Zakia following its recapture under the condition that they would refrain from engaging in anti-government activities.
Impact on Residents
One resident, who remains in Zakia, said he was included on the list along with his wife and 19 second-degree relatives. “These decisions are capricious and arbitrary,” he said. “I have a piece of land, 8 dunums [about 2 acres], that I farm. It was included in the asset freeze. Now I can’t sell it or rent it.”
Asset freezes can severely disrupt people’s financial stability, limiting their ability to access funds, maintain property, and conduct business.
Background
Syria’s Counterterrorism Law broadly defines terrorism in a way that allows the government to label almost any act as a terrorist offense, including humanitarian aid or nonviolent protests, and lacks clear procedural standards.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Arab Charter on Human Rights guarantee the right to property. The Arab Charter states that no one should “under any circumstances be arbitrarily or unlawfully divested of all or any part of their property.”
Recommendations
Human Rights Watch recommends that the Syrian government:
- Provide specific and individual reasons for freezing people’s assets
- Allow affected people, including relatives, to appeal the decision
- Amend the counterterrorism law and other related laws to remove any overbroad definitions of terrorism and incorporate due process and fair trial guarantees
Contact
For more information or to schedule an interview with Adam Coogle, please contact Human Rights Watch at [insert contact information].