The ban of accessing private repositories from US-Sanctioned regions

[ahmeteminkocal]

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Hello,
What is the point of banning people from accessing private repositories of github?
I have a few employees who are from Syria and they are unable to access our private repositories which feels very racist for some reason.
Today I tried to add a new empoyee to our Github repository and I couldn't because he is from Syria. I felt extremely embarressed.

[the-officialjosh]

I understand your concern and frustration regarding the ban on accessing private repositories from US-sanctioned regions. It's important to note that the restrictions imposed by GitHub are not driven by racism but rather by compliance with legal requirements imposed by the United States government.

GitHub, being a US-based company, must comply with US laws and regulations, which include trade sanctions and restrictions imposed on certain countries, including Syria. These sanctions are part of broader political and economic measures enforced by governments worldwide.

While the intentions behind these restrictions may be focused on national security or foreign policy concerns, they can unintentionally affect individuals who are not directly involved in any prohibited activities.

GitHub has made efforts to address this issue by providing alternative solutions such as public repositories, access to public APIs, and collaboration through other platforms. These options allow individuals from sanctioned regions to continue participating in the open-source community and contribute to projects that do not involve private repositories.

It's essential to remember that the restrictions are not specific to GitHub but are imposed by governments and organizations worldwide to comply with legal obligations.

[I-3B]

if the account owner is no longer in the said sanctioned regions, can they submit an appeal to remove the ban? is this possible?

[ahasna]

You can definitely submit an appeal. The question is: Will it be reviewed? Most probably no!

[HMothaffar]

Now that the Assad's regime has fallen, why are restrictions still imposed? All programmers in Syria are suffering from the US sanctions.

[eyadalahmar]

Because the new regime had not yet satisfied the US government, you know..

[baderk]

visited my family recently and forgot that I have an automated script that syncs notes to my private repository and it triggered without a VPN once and now my account is restricted and can't access my own personal projects 🙃. Filed an appeal proving where I live for the past 15 years and didn't hear anything from them. Why have a "file an appeal" process if it's just a junk mail to them? what a joke

[ahasna]

It's probably for legal reasons lol.

[HamzaAlsarakbi]

@baderk Have you heard back? I filed an appear in Late June 2025 and still no reply

[baderkanawati]

Nope nothing

[AlexDyakonov]

All the same. Still no reply since July 2025

[vladipus]

no appeal reply since may 2025. tried the support ticket way - nothing

[queenofcorgis]

GitHub.com, GitHub Enterprise Server, and the information you upload to either product may be subject to trade control regulations, including under the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (the EAR). For more information, please refer to our GitHub and Trade Controls policy.

[baderk]

Very well aware of that. But if I file a claim and explain my case, it shouldn't be ignored for months and lose access to my private repos just like that. Am I ever going to gain access? We're all adults and it's better to answer the community instead of having a fake file claim process that is as good as tossing a paper into the garbage bin.

There's a reasonable approach, if I was doing business sure yeah whatever, but it is my personal projects and some backups of notes and all that, and losing access to them is ridiculous. At least provide an option to download all the content of my private repos instead of ghosting us?

[ahasna]

@queenofcorgis Explaining why the restriction was done is kinda pointless tbh. Would be better to have clear instructions on how to lift them. Is that something that is feasible?

[zibdie]

Hello @queenofcorgis . My account was hit despite me not being in Syria. These restrictions have been removed.

[abdalmjeedalshami]

You're right

[ahasna]

The context for the restriction is totally understandable. However, lifting the restriction off individuals that can prove they haven't participated in any shady business must be taken more seriously by GitHub. I am stuck since March 18, 2025 with my account being restricted and I am not getting any response after submitting appeals. With proofs that I am not living in the sanctioned area.

[CiaranZhou]

Hi~ Have you managed to resolve the issue? I'm facing the same problem. I've already submitted two appeals, spaced over a week apart, and it's been more than a week since the last one.

[ahasna]

No not yet. There is some movement about this issue.
TLDR; You just have to wait. Or invest enormous amount of money into GitHub enterprise to speak to some account manager to expedite the process. Even then it won't be resolved in a timely manner.

See: https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/159132

[knno]

Yeah, I've been stuck since 2016.
Restricted from private repos.
They ignore tickets related to this... cough

[HasanMothaffar]

What about sanctions on Syria? 👀👀
https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-says-will-remove-us-sanctions-syria-2025-05-13/

[Jarjanazy]

It should be a matter of time...... Syria needs full access to GitHub as soon as possible

[adnkh]

I'm experiencing the same issue, I visited my family for the first time in 10 years, and while I was simply checking my GitHub account, it suddenly got banned.
I submitted an appeal a week ago, but haven’t received any response, not even a reference number for the appeal.

This is my only account everything I've worked on is uploaded there. All my private repositories are stored on GitHub. I never imagined something like this could happen.

It’s incredibly frustrating. As far as I know, sanctions on Syria have been lifted, so I don’t understand why we’re still being treated this way.

[TahaKh99]

Did you get any updates on your case?
I'm facing the same situation and I am already back to Malaysia (where I reside) and my account is still locked...

[adnkh]

My account is still locked, no reply nothing from GitHub side

[knno]

Same. I've been messaging for years.

[adnkh]

My account was restored today after lifting the sanctions on Syria.
I’m truly grateful for the efforts of the new government officials

[TahaKh99]

I understand that but I am not resident of any of the countries you mentioned. I was in a short visit to Syria for the first time in 15 years and I casually opened my account there as I was not aware of the ban issue. The account was suspended and I am already back to where I reside (Malaysia) but my account is still banned. I filed an appeal and provided all the requested documents but no response at all…

…

On Tue, 1 Jul 2025 at 2:08 AM Abhishekwebdev ***@***.***> wrote: GitHub enforces U.S. trade control laws, which means users from certain countries or regions sanctioned by the U.S. government face restrictions when using GitHub services — especially private repositories and advanced features. 🚫 GitHub Access Restrictions in U.S.-Sanctioned Regions 🔒 What is Banned? If you're located in a U.S.-sanctioned country or region, GitHub blocks access to: Private repositories GitHub Copilot GitHub Actions (CI/CD) GitHub Packages GitHub Codespaces Copilot Chat / Agents 🌍 Affected Regions As of now, GitHub restricts access from these countries/regions: Iran North Korea Cuba Syria Crimea region of Ukraine (and potentially other Russian-occupied territories) Other regions subject to U.S. export restrictions ✅ GitHub tries to allow read-only access to public repositories wherever possible. 💬 GitHub’s Official Statement GitHub is committed to developer collaboration, but as a U.S.-based company, it must comply with: "U.S. export control laws, including sanctions from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)." More info: 🔗 GitHub Trade Controls Help Page <https://docs.github.com/en/site-policy/import-export> ⚠️ Summary If you're in a U.S.-sanctioned region, you cannot access private repositories, even if you're the owner. GitHub is legally required to block that access. Let me know if you want help backing up or migrating content before a restriction applies. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#58614 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AX3TKTE4OOQTFGIPQARVPML3GGGZZAVCNFSM6AAAAABWCM6T7OVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTGNRSGE2DKNA> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[Jarjanazy]

I faced the same sitiuation, I waited for about 2 t o3 weeks before they responded to me

[knno]

@Jarjanazy Do they reply only to non-residents of those countries?

[zibdie]

@Jarjanazy What did they reply with?

[TahaKh99]

Ok, thanks for the update.

…

On Wed, 2 Jul 2025 at 12:17 AM Abdulcelil Cercenazi < ***@***.***> wrote: I faced the same sitiuation, I waited for about 2 t o3 weeks before they responded to me — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#58614 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AX3TKTD7TPQ4KMXFSZYWVRL3GKYC3AVCNFSM6AAAAABWCM6T7OVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTGNRTGA4TONA> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[adnkh]

My account was restored today after the recent lifting of sanctions on Syria.
I’m truly grateful for the efforts of the new government officials

[abd-Mohsen]

so now i can create a private repo in Syria without getting my account banned?

[HamzaAlsarakbi]

@abd-Mohsen accessing GitHub from Syria is what got you banned in the first place. That ban is now lifted. Now you can access GitHub without any restrictions (including creating private repos) without getting your account banned.

[knno]

Thank you GitHub for committing to your mission and making it available for Syrians.
I am glad to have my account enabled after years!

[glngadttya]

visited my family recently and forgot that I have an automated script that syncs notes to my private repository and it triggered without a VPN once and now my account is restricted and can't access my own personal projects 🙃. Filed an appeal proving where I live for the past 15 years and didn't hear anything from them. Why have a "file an appeal" process if it's just a junk mail to them? what a joke