Hamid Yahiya Hussain and Kasturi Sen (September, 2020) present a biased perspective on the impact of EU and US sanction legislation in Syria. Western sanctions were introduced to promote accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Syrian conflict, the vast majority of which have been perpetrated by the Syrian Government and its allies against civilian populations. The implication that sanctions (including exemptions for humanitarian aid) have prevented the Syrian Government from responding to the COVID-19 pandemic is erroneous and does not reflect the widespread politicisation of humanitarian aid, nor the economic and humanitarian context.