This Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1111 amends Regulation (EU) 2020/1998, which concerns restrictive measures against serious human rights violations and abuses. The new regulation adds two individuals and three entities to the list of those subject to sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime. These additions are in response to a wave of violence in Syria’s coastal region in March 2025, where serious human rights violations, including arbitrary killings, were committed against civilians.
The structure of the regulation is straightforward. It consists of two articles and an annex. Article 1 states that Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2020/1998 is amended as per the Annex to this new regulation. Article 2 specifies that the regulation comes into force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. The Annex lists the individuals and entities added to the sanctions list, providing identifying information and the reasons for their listing.
The most important provision of this regulation is the inclusion of specific individuals and entities in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2020/1998, which triggers the restrictive measures outlined in the original regulation. These measures typically include asset freezes and travel bans within the EU. The listed individuals are Muhammad Hussein al-Jasim and Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr, leaders of the Sultan Sulaiman Shah Brigade and the Hamza Division, respectively. The listed entities are the Sultan Sulaiman Shah Brigade, the Hamza Division, and the Sultan Murad Division. All are implicated in serious human rights abuses in Syria. **** This regulation has implications for those individuals and entities, as it restricts their access to the EU and its financial systems, and it serves as a signal of the EU’s condemnation of human rights abuses in Syria.