The United States has marked the one-year anniversary of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) provisional measures against Syria by designating a Syrian official for involvement in gross human rights violations. The ICJ had ordered the Syrian regime to prevent acts of torture and other cruel treatment, as well as to stop destroying evidence of such acts. Despite this, human rights organizations report continued arbitrary detention and torture by the regime.

Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson, announced that Abdul Salam Fajr Mahmoud, a Brigadier General in the Syrian Air Force, along with his wife Suhair Nader al Jundi and their four adult children, have been designated under Section 7031(c) for involvement in these violations. This section pertains to gross violations of human rights.

The conflict in Syria has seen over 15,000 documented cases of deaths due to torture and ill-treatment, including U.S. citizens. The U.S. government calls on the Syrian regime to halt its use of torture and comply with the ICJ order. It also commends Canada and the Netherlands for their efforts to hold the Assad regime accountable through ongoing proceedings at the ICJ.

This designation is made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024.