Syria to suspend constitution, parliament
Published: 06:12 PM,Dec 12,2024 | EDITED : 10:12 PM,Dec 12,2024
TURKEY-SYRIA-POLITICS-CONFLICT
DAMASCUS: Syria's new government spokesman said on Thursday the country's constitution and parliament would be suspended for the duration of the three-month transition period following president Bashar al Assad's ouster.
'A judicial and human rights committee will be established to examine the constitution and then introduce amendments,' Obaida Arnaout said.
The current constitution dates back to 2012 and does not specify Islam as the state religion.
Rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized the capital Damascus on Sunday, sending Assad fleeing into exile.
On Tuesday, they named Mohammed al Bashir, who headed the rebels' self-proclaimed 'Salvation Government' in their northwestern bastion of Idlib, as the country's transitional prime minister until March 1.
Arnaout said a meeting would be held on Tuesday 'between Salvation Government ministers and the former ministers' of Assad's administration to carry out the transfer of power.
'This transitional period will last three months,' he said. 'Our priority is to preserve and protect institutions.' Speaking at the state television headquarters, now seized by the new rebel authorities, Arnaout pledged that they would institute 'the rule of law'.
'All those who committed crimes against the Syrian people will be judged in accordance with the law,' he added.
Asked about religious and personal freedoms, he said 'we respect religious and cultural diversity in Syria', adding that they would remain unchanged.
Meanwhile, Images from Syrian prisons since ex-president Bashar al Assad's ouster clearly show the years-long horrors suffered by Syrians, the UN said on Thursday, demanding the immediate release of 'countless' others still being held.
The United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said haunting images emerging from the notorious Saydnaya prison and other detention facilities 'underscore the unimaginable barbarity Syrians have endured and reported for years'.
As HTS rebels looded into Damascus earlier this week, images showed dozens of emaciated men, some so weak they had to be carried, leaving Saydnaya.
Amnesty International has condemned the prison as a 'human slaughterhouse'.
While Saydnaya now stands empty, Pedersen warned that 'countless children, women and men are still held arbitrarily in detention facilities under various authorities' in Syria.
'They must be immediately released.' The main priority now, Pedersen said, must be 'accounting for the missing,' and ensuring that 'families receive the clarity and recognition they desperately need'.
'Evidence of atrocities must be preserved and thoroughly documented to ensure accountability under international humanitarian law,' he said. — AFP
'A judicial and human rights committee will be established to examine the constitution and then introduce amendments,' Obaida Arnaout said.
The current constitution dates back to 2012 and does not specify Islam as the state religion.
Rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized the capital Damascus on Sunday, sending Assad fleeing into exile.
On Tuesday, they named Mohammed al Bashir, who headed the rebels' self-proclaimed 'Salvation Government' in their northwestern bastion of Idlib, as the country's transitional prime minister until March 1.
Arnaout said a meeting would be held on Tuesday 'between Salvation Government ministers and the former ministers' of Assad's administration to carry out the transfer of power.
'This transitional period will last three months,' he said. 'Our priority is to preserve and protect institutions.' Speaking at the state television headquarters, now seized by the new rebel authorities, Arnaout pledged that they would institute 'the rule of law'.
'All those who committed crimes against the Syrian people will be judged in accordance with the law,' he added.
Asked about religious and personal freedoms, he said 'we respect religious and cultural diversity in Syria', adding that they would remain unchanged.
Meanwhile, Images from Syrian prisons since ex-president Bashar al Assad's ouster clearly show the years-long horrors suffered by Syrians, the UN said on Thursday, demanding the immediate release of 'countless' others still being held.
The United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said haunting images emerging from the notorious Saydnaya prison and other detention facilities 'underscore the unimaginable barbarity Syrians have endured and reported for years'.
As HTS rebels looded into Damascus earlier this week, images showed dozens of emaciated men, some so weak they had to be carried, leaving Saydnaya.
Amnesty International has condemned the prison as a 'human slaughterhouse'.
While Saydnaya now stands empty, Pedersen warned that 'countless children, women and men are still held arbitrarily in detention facilities under various authorities' in Syria.
'They must be immediately released.' The main priority now, Pedersen said, must be 'accounting for the missing,' and ensuring that 'families receive the clarity and recognition they desperately need'.
'Evidence of atrocities must be preserved and thoroughly documented to ensure accountability under international humanitarian law,' he said. — AFP