DAMASCUS- In an official statement published today the Ministry of Interior in Syria has warned “the laws in force in Syria will be applied for serving the citizens security and stability.”
Statement started by telling “The course of the previous events have revealed that these are an armed insurrection by armed groups belonging to Salafist organizations, especially in the cities of Homs and Banias.”
The Ministry urged all Syrian citizens for “efficient contribution in realizing stability and security and assisting specialized authorities at their tasks to implement this national goal.”
Ministry also asked Syrians “to refrain from any mass rally or demonstration or sit-in under any title.” Someone commented on this statement and the previous one of Interior Ministry, he said “Many scoff at that notion; it doesn’t match the reality on the ground.”
Peaceful sit-ins are hardly an armed insurrection and the claims of outside influence are, while not totally imaginary, simply wrong. The use of the term “armed insurrection”, though, is ominous.
On the one hand, the wave of protests continues to grow and spread throughout the country. At first, demonstrations were few and small; yet the demands were limited. A few hundred protested in Damascus, in Lattakia, and in Daraa for limited reforms: a release of political prisoners, a lift to the emergency law.
Statement started by telling “The course of the previous events have revealed that these are an armed insurrection by armed groups belonging to Salafist organizations, especially in the cities of Homs and Banias.”
The Ministry urged all Syrian citizens for “efficient contribution in realizing stability and security and assisting specialized authorities at their tasks to implement this national goal.”
Ministry also asked Syrians “to refrain from any mass rally or demonstration or sit-in under any title.” Someone commented on this statement and the previous one of Interior Ministry, he said “Many scoff at that notion; it doesn’t match the reality on the ground.”
Peaceful sit-ins are hardly an armed insurrection and the claims of outside influence are, while not totally imaginary, simply wrong. The use of the term “armed insurrection”, though, is ominous.
On the one hand, the wave of protests continues to grow and spread throughout the country. At first, demonstrations were few and small; yet the demands were limited. A few hundred protested in Damascus, in Lattakia, and in Daraa for limited reforms: a release of political prisoners, a lift to the emergency law.
But then something happened and the movement was pushed to form a snowball. Instead of hundreds, opposition protests began numbering in the thousands and, now, tens of not hundreds of thousands; from Damascus to Dera’a, Latakia and Qamishli… then to Homs, Banias, Aleppo, and smaller towns and even some villages from one end of the country to the other.
Protests and calls for reform grew up… The demands grew too; for an opening up of the political system and for an end to Baath rule over all Syrian regime and society.
On the other hand, some predicted that government repression and state violence also would be growing up in lockstep with the growth of opposition. What might have continued as a small “irritant” of protests took off when the regime shot demonstrators in Daraa. The same patterns have followed since then; the regime uses violence and not suppress things, according to HRW reports and statements.
On Tuesday, SANA reported “An official source stated that on 19/04/2011, armed criminal groups in the city of Homs committed a new crime by opening fire on Colonel Mohammad Abdo Khaddour, shooting him in the head and torso while he was heading to work and martyring him.”
SANA added “The criminal group wasn't content with murder; it also resorted to mutilating Col. Khadour's face. Sergeant Major Ghassan Mehrez was shot while driving a minibus to work, martyring him as well.”
SANA concluded “The source added that this blood that was spilled on the road was meant to be spilt in defense of the country's freedom and dignity. However, the treacherous and criminal armed groups controlled by sides abroad insisted upon carrying out their criminal plots.”
On Tuesday too, Syria News Sat reported that a demonstration took place in Damascus University, exactly at Faculty of Medicine; also the same story at local media “the treacherous and criminal armed groups controlled by sides abroad” with no convenient explanations or details.
While online news, and especially on Social Networks (Facebook, YouTube and Twitter) said that no demonstrations were reported early today in Syria. They reported clashes and gunfire took place in Homs yesterday late night and many were dead and injured.
Syrian Officials assured it today and said “the armed criminal groups continued their aggressions against the security of the motherland and the citizens targeting two police stations in al-Hamidiya and al-Bayyada in Homs as six policemen were wounded while two members of the armed group were killed and five wounded.”
SANA said “Homs Police Chief, Brigadier Hamid Asa'ad Mar'ai, said that armed criminal groups tried to set fire at al-Bayyada Police Station after surrounding it, adding that they fired at its personnel and wounded a number of them.”
Director of Homs National Hospital, Ghassan Tannous, told SANA “Six members of the security forces were brought to the hospital Tuesday dawn as they had various injuries after they were shot and physically attacked with sharp tools and batons during their shift at al-Bayyada and al-Hamidiya police stations.”
“The injured stressed that about 50 armed men attacked al-Bayyada Police Station at 03:00 a.m. and opened fire at the security members and attacked one of them with batons and sharp tools, indicating that the same scene took place at al-Hamidiya Police Station.” He added to SANA.
Also on Tuesday, during a session chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Adel Safar, the Cabinet passed a bill on a legislative decree to end the state of emergency in the Syrian Arab Republic which was declared in 1963.
The Cabinet also passed a bill on a legislative decree on abolishing the Higher State Security Court established by Legislative Decree No. 47 for 1968 and its amendments, referring cases before it to the relevant judicial authorities, in addition to passing a bill regulating right to peaceful protest, as one of basic human rights guaranteed by the Syrian Constitution according to procedural regulations that require the approval of the Interior Ministry to organize a demonstration.
Yet, Syrians activists are still pushing online for more and more demonstrations; even though some or actually most of them are living abroad as there is no more legal space for Freedom of Expression in Syria.
Syrian regime has promised to apply more reforms related to all political and social sectors, but only according to its own agenda.
To say that things are getting complicated in Syria, along the last month and still; would probably be an understatement. Actually, no one seems to know precisely what is going on and even getting a grasp on what the main issues at stake are seems complicated.
Are clashes in Syria would be considered as Sectarian struggle which would lead to a civil war? Or is situation moving towards a peaceful transition to a democratic society? Is a brutal crackdown in the offing? Or are they “outside influence”?
“Maybe,” is foreigner`s answer to all of those…but what about Syrian one?
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
