DAMASCUS —
Syrian President
Bashar Al-Assad on Monday signed into law a bill enshrining a
six-month jail sentence for citizens residing in the country who spread
disinformation undermining the state’s reputation.
اضافة اعلان
Under the previous
law, only Syrians residing abroad could be hit with jail sentences, likely in
absentia, for spreading fake or exaggerated news deemed damaging to the state.
But under the new
legislation approved on Monday,
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,” the
presidency said in a statement.
The same sentence
was laid out for any Syrian who “publicizes news that could improve the
reputation of an enemy state”, the presidency added.
The statement did
not specify which countries fall under that label.
The new law 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”, according to the
statement.
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 ... lived in fear of being arrested for expressing their opinion,
belonging to a dissenting political party, reporting for the media, or
defending human rights,” the
UN Human Rights Council said 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.
The rising cost of
living has been further stoked by food and fuel price inflation resulting from
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Read more Region and World
.jpg)
.jpg)
