Protection of Syrian Religious and Ethnic Minorities Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10827 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10827

To require the Secretary of State to submit a report identifying senior 
   Syrian officials alleged to have facilitated certain human rights 
                    abuses, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 15, 2026

 Mr. Mackenzie (for himself and Mr. Barrett) introduced the following 
 bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in 
 addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Financial Services, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To require the Secretary of State to submit a report identifying senior 
   Syrian officials alleged to have facilitated certain human rights 
                    abuses, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protection of Syrian Religious and 
Ethnic Minorities Act''.

SEC. 2. TARGETED ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES RELATING TO INTERIM SYRIAN 
              AUTHORITIES.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States supports accountability for war 
        crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of persecution 
        committed in Syria, including against religious and ethnic 
        minority communities;
            (2) reports further indicate ongoing incidents of unlawful 
        detention, ongoing sectarian violence fueled by unpunished hate 
        speech targeting minorities, abduction of women and minors, 
        collective termination from employment, enforced 
        disappearances, intimidation leading to loss of private 
        property and work, covert forced displacements, police abuse of 
        power and government-sponsored looting, forced religious 
        conversions and extrajudicial killings targeting vulnerable 
        religious and ethnic populations;
            (3) findings by the United States Commission on 
        International Religious Freedom and other credible 
        international human rights monitors documenting continuing 
        violations of religious freedom and ethnoreligious persecution;
            (4) credible reports indicate that the interim Syrian 
        authorities have failed to adequately include religious and 
        ethnic minorities in governance and transitional processes, 
        have not sufficiently investigated or prosecuted crimes 
        committed against such communities;
            (5) continued congressional oversight of the Government of 
        Syria's progress against specified benchmarks, including 
        through the reporting framework established under section 
        8369(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
        Year 2026 (22 U.S.C. 8791 note), is important to ensuring 
        accountability and informing future United States policy toward 
        Syria; and
            (6) finally, reports indicate that the interim Syrian 
        authorities have failed to remove foreign fighters from senior 
        roles in the Government of Syria, including those in the state 
        and security institutions of Syria, and instead integrated 
        these fighters into independent divisions.
    (b) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United States 
that the President should utilize existing authorities to impose 
targeted sanctions on specific Syrian officials, security personnel, 
affiliated militia leaders, and other foreign persons connected to the 
interim Syrian President or members of the interim cabinet determined 
to be responsible for, complicit in, or to have materially assisted 
such abuses.
    (c) Report and Determination.--Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 
coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit 
to the appropriate congressional committees--
            (1) a report identifying senior Syrian officials and 
        affiliated persons credibly alleged to have participated in, 
        directed, facilitated, or concealed serious human rights abuses 
        or acts of persecution against religious or ethnic minorities; 
        and
            (2) a determination as to whether targeted measures 
        described in subsection (d) should be imposed with respect to 
        persons identified in paragraph (1) pursuant to existing United 
        States sanctions authorities.
    (d) Measures Described.--Measures described in this subsection are 
the following:
            (1) Blocking and freezing property pursuant to the 
        International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 
        seq.).
            (2) A determination of visa ineligibility, visa revocation, 
        denial of entry, or other immigration-related restriction 
        authorized under Federal law.
            (3) A restriction relating to access to property, interests 
        in property, or financial transactions subject to the 
        jurisdiction of the United States, as authorized under Federal 
        law.
            (4) Any other targeted measure authorized under Federal law 
        relating to terrorism, corruption, war crimes, crimes against 
        humanity, or serious human rights abuses.
    (e) Rules of Constriction.--Nothing in this section, nor any action 
taken pursuant to this section, may be construed to--
            (1) authorize the prohibition or regulation of the 
        importation of goods into the United States;
            (2) require the imposition of any measure described in 
        subsection (d); or
            (3) create any new sanctions authority not otherwise 
        authorized under Federal law.
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