The European Union has added two individuals and three entities to its sanctions lists concerning Syria, due to their connections with events that took place in the Syrian coast last March.

According to the EU‘s decision issued today, Wednesday, May 28, among the sanctioned individuals are the leaders Mohammed Hussein al-Jassem, nicknamed “Abu Amsha,” and Saif Bolad “Abu Bakr,” commander of the al-Hamzat division.

The decision stated that the entities led by these individuals were responsible for serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings during the violent incidents that occurred in the coastal region in March 2025.

The European Union included three entities on its sanctions lists: Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade, formerly led by Abu Amsha, the al-Hamzat division led by Saif Abu Bakr, and the Sultan Murad Brigade, led by Faheem Issa. However, the new sanctions did not personally affect Faheem Issa but only targeted the entity he leads.

Violations occurred on the Syrian coast from March 6 to 10 and were among the worst waves of violence witnessed in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024.

The coastal events (during the mentioned period) resulted in the extrajudicial killing of 803 individuals, which was sparked by an ambush from pro-regime militants in the Syrian coast or those whom the Syrian government describes as “remnants of the regime,” targeting security forces of the government.

The European sanctions came despite Abu Amsha denying that members of his division committed any violations, as he stated on his pages or in interviews with media outlets, claiming that his division is well-trained and does not fall into traps or schemes.

On August 17, 2023, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade, its leader Mohammed al-Jassem (Abu Amsha) and his brother Walid al-Jassem, the al-Hamzat division, and its leader Saif Bolad (Abu Bakr).

Abu Amsha criticized the US sanctions, considering their aim to be “purely political,” while the Ministry of Defense in the Syrian interim government deemed them unjust and far removed from the principles of rights and justice.

After the fall of the previous Syrian regime, Mohammed al-Jassem was appointed as commander of Division 62, and Saif al-Din Bolad, nicknamed “Abu Bakr,” was appointed as commander of Division 76, with the rank of Brigadier General for each, within the new Syrian army.