The Syrian government approved the repeal of the Emergency Law in force in the Arab republic since 1963, a move announced last weekend by President Bashar Al Assad, but that seems unlikely to stop the violent repression with which the Baathist regime, which dominates the country for four decades through the Assad dynasty, is responding to the protests.
Before the announcement of the end of the emergency, the Ministry of the Interior asked the Syrians did not support any protest and warned he will do what the law allows to prevent them from occurring. This is the case of Homs, a city of about 700 000 inhabitants located in the center of the country, where security forces opened fire early this morning against the thousands of people, who had been on the streets to protest against the Government and fire several opponents who died during another protest on Sunday.
The warning system would not accept any new event in the country, where four people were shot to death when security forces dispersed a rally in Homs. Most of the 22.5 million Syrians were born or grew up under the rigid control of the state of emergency which, among other things, imposed severe limitations on the media, allowing telecommunications interception and detention without warrant.
The Emergency Law dates from 1962 and is effective from the coming to power of the Baath Party in 1963, when political power is controlled by the Alawite minority, a branch of Shiite Islam. Sunnis form the majority of the population. The official press accused Washington of being "behind" the demonstrations.
United States demanded the cessation of violence against demonstrators in Syria. To realize the lifting of the Act requires the approval of the final document of the decree to be signed by the president, to make way for its cancellation of an official. The law changes require the approval of Parliament, but objections are not foreseen during the legislative session scheduled for May 2.
The Syrian government maintains that the ground state of emergency was due to the technical state of war with Israel, although advocacy groups for human rights and others contend it was mostly used as the main tool of the authoritarian system. With this, the president would have an excuse to crush any attempt to demonstrate or march.
The cabinet approved the removal of the State Security Court, which dealt with the trials of political prisoners and to prosecute any person deemed a danger to the country and the Government, and gave the green light to a new law to permit peaceful demonstrations with the permission of the Ministry of Interior. 
Before the announcement of the end of the emergency, the Ministry of the Interior asked the Syrians did not support any protest and warned he will do what the law allows to prevent them from occurring. This is the case of Homs, a city of about 700 000 inhabitants located in the center of the country, where security forces opened fire early this morning against the thousands of people, who had been on the streets to protest against the Government and fire several opponents who died during another protest on Sunday.
The warning system would not accept any new event in the country, where four people were shot to death when security forces dispersed a rally in Homs. Most of the 22.5 million Syrians were born or grew up under the rigid control of the state of emergency which, among other things, imposed severe limitations on the media, allowing telecommunications interception and detention without warrant.
The Emergency Law dates from 1962 and is effective from the coming to power of the Baath Party in 1963, when political power is controlled by the Alawite minority, a branch of Shiite Islam. Sunnis form the majority of the population. The official press accused Washington of being "behind" the demonstrations.
United States demanded the cessation of violence against demonstrators in Syria. To realize the lifting of the Act requires the approval of the final document of the decree to be signed by the president, to make way for its cancellation of an official. The law changes require the approval of Parliament, but objections are not foreseen during the legislative session scheduled for May 2.
The Syrian government maintains that the ground state of emergency was due to the technical state of war with Israel, although advocacy groups for human rights and others contend it was mostly used as the main tool of the authoritarian system. With this, the president would have an excuse to crush any attempt to demonstrate or march.
The cabinet approved the removal of the State Security Court, which dealt with the trials of political prisoners and to prosecute any person deemed a danger to the country and the Government, and gave the green light to a new law to permit peaceful demonstrations with the permission of the Ministry of Interior.
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