DAMASCUS — As Syrians observe the first anniversary of toppling Bashar al-Assad, they are also watching a major shift in U.S. policy: Washington is poised to remove long-standing economic restrictions. The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to repeal sanctions tied to the 2019 Caesar Act, passed amid mounting evidence of killings and torture under Assad. The Syrian Foreign Ministry called the move a pivotal moment that could restore opportunities denied to Syrians for years. The U.S. Senate is expected to follow with approval next week.
If lifted, the sanctions would clear the way for billions of dollars in infrastructure and humanitarian spending that had been hampered by international banks and firms avoiding transactions tied to Syria. Local businesses also expect a boost. Yasser Homsi, owner of the travel company Sham Services, said that after the measures are removed, his firm will finally be able to work with Visa and Mastercard. Homsi has registered his company in the U.K. but still needs to route funds through third countries because direct transfers to Syrian accounts remain barred.
The anniversary of Assad’s ouster on Dec. 8, 2024, brought days of public celebration — fireworks, flags and blaring horns. At the main mosque in Damascus’ Midan district, worshippers left dawn prayers at the moment many mark as Assad’s departure from the city under Russian protection. Assad and his wife Asma remain in exile in Russia.
In the streets, people chanted and ululated in traditional celebration. A metal fence around the mosque was covered with hundreds of photos of those killed during Assad’s crackdown in 2011–2012 — mostly young men but also children. Neighborhood resident Lutifa Muyadin, pausing to view the images, said each day since the regime fell has brought joy and freedom, and she expressed gratitude to those who died to topple Assad. She also thanked the United States for moving to lift sanctions and praised former President Trump and the current administration for their support.
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, once a militant who has renounced his former group’s ideology, addressed the nation and pledged to honor public trust. He urged honesty and a focus on reconstruction as central themes for the new leadership.
Syrian-American activist Mouaz Moustafa, founder of the Syria Emergency Task Force, walked among celebrants and played a video he recorded of a restaurant cleaner dancing with a mop as coworkers clapped. He described the popular joy as a release from prolonged oppression and compared the fall of Assad to the symbolic collapse of the Berlin Wall, saying rare moments like this mark the triumph of good over entrenched evil.
The conflict that led to Assad’s removal followed years of repression, killing and corruption. Iran and Russia intervened to help the regime suppress uprisings, and a civil war that lasted 13 years left deep scars. The United Nations estimates at least half a million people were killed, and hundreds of thousands remain missing; many are believed to lie in mass graves still being uncovered. At one site a few miles from Damascus, more than 20 sunken depressions mark individual graves; activists estimate as many as 20,000 bodies may be interred there.
While most Syrians now report far greater freedoms than under the old regime, fears persist. New security units include former militants accused of carrying out revenge attacks against Alawite and Druze communities. A June suicide bombing at a church, claimed by a militant Sunni group, has increased anxiety among Christian residents.
Still, signs of economic life and optimism are emerging. New electric taxis now ply Damascus streets in a country that until recently could not import new cars. 77 Auto, which imports vehicles from China, has opened a showroom and is installing charging stations across the city. CEO Afraa Sharif said lifting sanctions would allow vehicle software to be activated using Syrian registrations rather than creating foreign registrations abroad.
Sharif recalled how under the former regime even displaying a U.S. dollar sign in accounting could be dangerous. Despite widespread poverty, many Syrians are hopeful. Bilal Falaha, who works in a second-hand clothing shop and earns about $5 a day, said his family home was destroyed in the war but he remains optimistic about the country’s future. He said things will improve if people and the state work together.
As the country marks a year since Assad’s ouster, Syrians are balancing celebration and cautious expectation — rejoicing over regained freedoms while watching closely to see whether the end of sanctions will translate into tangible recovery and reconstruction.