Executive Order 13572 of April 29, 2011 Blocking Property of Certain Persons With Respect to Human Rights Abuses in Syria

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the
laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency
Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies
Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3, United
States Code,

I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, hereby
expand the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order
13338 of May 11, 2004
, and relied upon for additional steps taken in
Executive Order 13399 of April 25, 2006, and in Executive Order 13460
of February 13, 2008
, finding that the Government of Syria’s human rights
abuses, including those related to the repression of the people of Syria,
manifested most recently by the use of violence and torture against, and
arbitrary arrests and detentions of, peaceful protestors by police, security
forces, and other entities that have engaged in human rights abuses, constitute
an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy,
and economy of the United States, and I hereby order:

Section 1. All property and interests in property that are in the United
States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter
come within the possession or control of any United States person, including
any overseas branch, of the following persons are blocked and may not
be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in:
(a) the persons listed in the Annex to this order; and
(b) any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation
with the Secretary of State:
(i) to be responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, controlling,
or otherwise directing, or to have participated in, the commission
of human rights abuses in Syria, including those related to repression;
(ii) to be a senior official of an entity whose property and interests in
property are blocked pursuant to this order;
(iii) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material,
or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, the activities
described in subsection (b)(i) of this section or any person whose property
and interests in property are blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13338,
Executive Order 13460, or this order; or
(iv) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to
act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property
and interests in property are blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13460
or this order.

Sec. 2. I hereby determine that the making of donations of the type of
articles specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by,
to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property
are blocked pursuant to section 1 of this order would seriously impair
my ability to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order
13338 and expanded in this order, and I hereby prohibit such donations
as provided by section 1 of this order.

Sec. 3. The prohibitions in section 1 of this order include but are not
limited to:
(a) the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services
by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in
property are blocked pursuant to this order; and
(b) the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services
from any such person.

Sec. 4. The prohibitions in section 1 of this order apply except to the
extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses
that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract
entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the effective date
of this order.

Sec. 5. (a) Any transaction by a United States person or within the United
States that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes
a violation of, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in
this order is prohibited.
(b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth
in this order is prohibited.

Sec. 6. For the purposes of this order:
(a) the term ‘‘person’’ means an individual or entity;
(b) the term ‘‘entity’’ means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture,
corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization;
(c) the term ‘‘United States person’’ means any United States citizen,
permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United
States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign
branches), or any person in the United States; and
(d) the term ‘‘Government of Syria’’ means the Government of the Syrian
Arab Republic, its agencies, instrumentalities, and controlled entities.

Sec. 7. For those persons whose property and interests in property are
blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence
in the United States, I find that because of the ability to transfer funds
or other assets instantaneously, prior notice to such persons of measures
to be taken pursuant to this order would render those measures ineffectual.
I therefore determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing
the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13338 and expanded
in this order, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination
made pursuant to section 1 of this order.

Sec. 8. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary
of State, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation
of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President
by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order.
The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to
other officers and agencies of the United States Government consistent with
applicable law. All agencies of the United States Government are hereby
directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry
out the provisions of this order.

Sec. 9. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary
of State, is hereby authorized to determine that circumstances no longer
warrant the blocking of the property and interests in property of a person
listed in the Annex to this order, and to take necessary action to give
effect to that determination.

Sec. 10. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right
or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by
any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities,
its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

Sec. 11. This order is effective at 1:00 p.m. eastern daylight time on April
29, 2011.