March 28, 2022
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Syria Approves Law Tightening Freedom Of Speech - i24NEWS

A Syrian refugee holds a poster of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in a bus window at the border crossing point of Jdedeh Yabous, on his way to Syria, on August 13, 2018.
A Syrian refugee holds a poster of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in a bus window at the border crossing point of Jdedeh Yabous, on his way to Syria, on August 13, 2018.

'People across the country... live in fear of being arrested for expressing their opinion'

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad on Monday signed into law a bill enshrining a six-month prison sentence for citizens residing in the country who spread disinformation undermining the state's reputation.

Under the previous law, only Syrians residing abroad could be hit with prison sentences - likely in absentia - for spreading fake or exaggerated news deemed damaging to the state.

But under the new legislation, Syrians at home will likewise face prison time.

"Every Syrian who knowingly publishes false or exaggerated news that undermines the prestige... of the state shall be punished by imprisonment for at least six months," Assad said.

The same sentence was laid out for any Syrian who "publicizes news that could improve the reputation of an enemy state,” the leader added.

He also introduced a prison sentence of at least one year for "every Syrian who, in writing or in speech, called for the cession of Syrian territory.”

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Syrians have feared prosecution for criticizing the state for decades, even though the constitution did not lay out specific legislation banning such comments.

"People across the country... live in fear of being arrested for expressing their opinion, belonging to a dissenting political party, reporting for the media, or defending human rights," the United Nations Human Rights Council said earlier this month.

The latest move follows months of growing discontent over a spiraling economic crisis.

Civil war erupted in Syria in 2011 after the violent repression of protests demanding regime change.

Around half a million people have been killed and millions have been displaced in the conflict, which has battered the country's economy.



source: https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/levant-turkey/1648489044-syria-approves-law-tightening-freedom-of-speech

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