Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act
The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, also known as the Caesar Act, is United States legislation that sanctions the Syrian government, including Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, for war crimes against the Syrian population. The Act was signed into law by President Trump in December 2019, and came into force on June 17, 2020. A number of Syrian operated industries, including those related to infrastructure, military maintenance and energy production, are targeted. The act also targets individuals and businesses who provide funding or assistance to the president of Syria. Iranian and Russian entities are addressed for their governments' support of Assad in the Syrian Civil War. The legislation imposes fresh sanctions on entities conducting business with the Syrian government and its military and intelligence agencies. It also aims to encourage negotiations by allowing the President of the United States to waive sanctions if the parties are engaged in meaningful negotiations and the violence against civilians has ceased. The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 became a part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (S1790) as House of Representatives report 116–333. The House Committee Report containing the Caesar provision passed the Senate on December 17, 2019, with bipartisan support from both chambers of United States Congress. The bill was signed by President Donald Trump and became law on December 20, 2019. This legislation is named after an individual known as Caesar, who documented torture against civilians by Assad's government, which was to become known as the 2014 Syrian detainee report or Caesar Report. Human Rights Watch (HRW) further investigated this report, and produced an additional report titled If the Dead Could Speak. Photographic evidence from the 2014 Syrian detainee report has been on display at the United States Holocaust Museum and at the United Nations. The sanctions have severely affected the Syrian economy, especially its construction, finance and energy sectors, and complicated the reconstruction efforts. Overview and origin Caesar sanctions are intended to create accountability for crimes by the Syrian government and its allies Russia and Iran. Sanctions are also to discourage foreign investors from doing business with the Syrian government, in an effort not to reward war crimes. The legislation was reintroduced by Representative Eliot Engel as House Resolution 31 of 2019, and it was passed in the House on January of the same year. It was later incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act which was enacted and then signed by President Trump. HR 31 was amended by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on June 3, 2019, to include congressional briefings by the President of military means meant to protect civilians, and obtaining data from organizations and countries in relation to Syria. Caesar sanctions are purposed to financially punish Assad and his associates for committing atrocities. Hence, the sanctions would mainly target providing goods, services, technology, information, or any support that would expand local production in the field of natural gas, oil and its derivatives. The sanctions also aim to deter foreign