EU sanctions Turkey-backed Syrian National Army militias Sultan Sulaiman Shah Brigade, Hamza Division, and Sultan Murad Division for human rights abuses

BRUSSELS — The Council of the European Union has added three armed militias and their commanders, operating under the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), to its sanctions list. The groups include the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade, led by Muhammad Hussein al-Jasim, the Hamza Division, commanded by Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr, and the Sultan Murad Division. 

The decision follows a wave of violence in Syria’s coastal region in March 2025, during which numerous civilians, particularly Alawites, were killed, many in arbitrary and brutal circumstances. According to the EU Council, these militias and their leaders were directly involved in the violence, committing serious human rights violations, including torture and extrajudicial killings. 

The Council holds Muhammad Hussein al-Jasim and the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade, along with Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr and the Hamza Division, accountable for atrocities during the March 2025 violence. Additionally, the Hamza Division has been implicated in widespread acts of torture within its detention centers, extortion, and the forced displacement of civilians, particularly in Cafrin (Afrin) and Holeb (Aleppo). 

The Sultan Murad Division is accused of targeting Syria’s Kurdish population and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) during the Syrian civil war, employing torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and ill-treatment of prisoners. The division has also been involved in military operations beyond Syria, including in Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Niger. 

The Syrian National Army serves as an umbrella organization for several Turkey-backed militias in northern Syria. To date, the SNA has not publicly supported efforts to establish a fully inclusive democracy in Syria with equality under the law. 

The sanctioned militias played a role in the December 2024 overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and are loosely associated with the security forces of the Syrian Transitional Government (STG). Despite this, the European Union recently lifted its longstanding sanctions against the STG. 

The EU’s latest move underscores its commitment to addressing human rights violations in conflict zones while maintaining a cautious approach toward Syria’s transitional leadership.