Syrian authorities have announced new conditions for street protests, with an official telling AFP on Monday that the move was purely regulatory, despite concerns over restrictions on freedoms.
It is the Islamist authorities’ first such move since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 following nearly 14 years of civil war that erupted with the longtime ruler’s brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.
The interior ministry announcement last Sunday said the “right to demonstrate and gather peacefully” is guaranteed under Syria’s transitional constitution, but must be exercised according to “legal conditions and mechanisms” to ensure security and public order.
It said a committee would decide on applications for demonstrations within five days of being lodged, with applicants having the right to appeal.
An interior ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity on Monday that “the decision is purely regulatory and aims to protect demonstrators” from violence.
“It doesn’t restrict freedoms but regulates them,” the official added.
Rights activists have nonetheless criticised the move, saying it reinstates a permit system in place under Assad which also included a notional right to appeal.
According to the ministry announcement, authorities will have the right to demand an end to an authorised protest under certain conditions, including if it “exceeds the limits of the granted permit or if riots take place”.
Syrian human rights activist Michal Shammas said on Facebook that the decision “reinstated the same conditions that were imposed” by Assad when the former leader sought to put down the 2011 protests.
He said only legislative bodies could impose restrictions on constitutional rights like freedom of assembly, and called the administrative decree “illegal and in violation of the constitution”.
Protests have erupted in different parts of Syria since Assad’s ouster over a variety of issues, including living conditions as well as political and rights issues, sometimes voicing criticism of the new authorities.
At times counter-protests have taken place, with clashes sometimes erupting.
Last month, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa sought to reassure his Emirati counterpart that Damascus wanted to maintain good relations with the United Arab Emirates, following a violent protest outside its embassy in Damascus.
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