Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Joumblatt has added his voice to the critique of Assad regime’s controversial Law 10, tweeting Wednesday that the measure “completes the [Assad] regime’s and Daesh’s destruction of Syria.”
“The ISIS extremist group and the Assad regime are two sides of a single coin,” Joumblatt said. “What do some people want [to gain by] feigning ignorance about the intentions of the regime?”
The law drawn international criticism, especially after the Syrian Coalition warned of the grave implications this this law will have for the possibility of the return of Syrian refugees. The Coalition stressed that the new legalization aims to consolidate and legitimize demographic change operations.
The Assad regime has passed Law No.10 to allow itself to seize private property, displace residents, and discourage refugees from returning, Human Rights Watch said in a new report published Tuesday.
The New York-based group said that Law 10 empowers authorities to confiscate property without compensating the owners or giving them an opportunity to appeal. The law, which the Assad regime is promoting as an urban planning measure, will create a major obstacle to returning home for displaced residents.
Displaced residents, particularly those from areas considered to be anti-government, will be more vulnerable to property seizure under Law No. 10, HRW warned.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, over 11 million Syrians have been displaced either internally or to host countries since the start of the Syrian conflict. HRW warned that many will not be able to return to their properties to make a claim themselves, and the 30-day window for sending a relative or an agent will be insurmountable for many.
In a letter sent to leaders of the friendly countries, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League, the Coalition highlighted the grave implications of the law as it stressed that it serves Iran’s plans to consolidate its influence in Syria. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
