WASHINGTON – This month, provisions of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act go into effect, sanctioning those who back the Syrian regime, including Russia and Iran. Ahead of the implementation, U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with U.S. Representatives Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement:
“The Syrian people have suffered too much and for too long under Assad and his backers. The administration must engage in vigorous, sustained enforcement of the Caesar Act in order to send a message to the regime and its enablers that Assad remains a pariah. He will never regain standing as a legitimate leader. The regime and its sponsors must stop the slaughter of innocent people and provide the Syrian people a path toward reconciliation, stability and freedom.
“We strongly urge all members of the international community against commercial or diplomatic engagement with the murderous Assad regime or engaging in sanctionable behavior.”
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