{"id":16252,"date":"2022-03-22T05:00:52","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T02:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stj-sy.org\/abbas-al-nourys-statements-on-politics-and-freedom-rocks-the-syrian-autocracy\/"},"modified":"2022-03-18T05:15:43","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T02:15:43","slug":"abbas-al-nourys-statements-on-politics-and-freedom-rocks-the-syrian-autocracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stj-sy.org\/en\/abbas-al-nourys-statements-on-politics-and-freedom-rocks-the-syrian-autocracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Abbas al-Noury\u2019s Statements on Politics and Freedom Rocks the Syrian Autocracy"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 29 January 2022, prominent Syrian actor Abbas al-Noury<\/a> gave a live video interview on the Damascus-based Al-Madina FM<\/a>\u2019s Al Mukhtar show. Al-Noury focused in the interview on criticizing the current Syrian Constitution and the deteriorating freedoms in Syria. During his interview, al-Noury recalled the Syrian Army\u2019s complicity in overthrowing the democracies Syrians enjoyed in the 1950s.<\/p>\n

In addressing the Syrian Constitution, al-Noury lamented: \u201cThe Syrian citizens do not know what it contains, since they did not participate in its making which is all in the hands of the ruler, who must have a limited power in determining the rights and duties of the ruled.\u201d\u00a0 Al-Noury referred to the freedom of expression as a condition for the sustainability of art production in Syria, saying:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are the freedoms we are enjoying in our country of the ancient culture and proud history? Once when a poet (He meant the Syrian great poet Nizar Qabbani<\/a>) criticized the government, the latter removed his works from the school curricula. In 1950s, Syria once set a fine example of democracy in the region with its multi-party politics and free elections. From the time the military came, they overthrew the constitution, they overthrew democracy, they overthrew all culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Al-Noury also criticized the failure of successive Syrian governments since 1963[1]<\/a> to allow citizens to participate in Syria\u2019s public affairs and the governments empty promises to improve human rights in the country. Al-Noury said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government has never been ashamed of its mistakes. Is it reasonable for a state to block Internet sites and allow others? This government does not want to think of its mistakes and it will not admit or questions them, as it has not do that so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Furthermore, al-Noury touched upon the theft of the Syrian Central Bank’s funds in the 1980s:<\/p>\n

\u201cSome well-known Syrian figures ran away with all the money of the Syrian Central Bank and no one uttered a word about it. Knowing that at the time, we had many brilliant lawyers but none dared to file a case against those figures despite the available documented evidence to this effect\u201d.<\/p>\n

Al-Noury went on to explain that Syria\u2019s present situation is a consequence of the authoritarian military rule over all aspects of life, including the economic, social and political realms.<\/p>\n

The Public\u2019s Reaction: Between Supporting and Opposing al-Noury\u2019s Statements<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Statements by Abbas al-Nouri sparked controversy on social media among Syrians, both loyalists and opponents of the regime. As a result, Al-Madina FM. deleted the interview from its official website and social media accounts \u2014 less than 24 hours after its broadcast. Despite its deletion, Abbas\u2019s speech<\/a> was disseminated across YouTube channels concerned with Syrian politics.<\/p>\n

Al-Noury was threatened with prosecution for crossing \u201cthe red lines\u201d in his discussions about the Syrian Army. Haidara Bahjat Suleiman, son of the former Syrian ambassador to Jordan, threatened to file a case against al-Noury on charges of insulting, degrading, and libeling all members of the Ba’ath party. Meanwhile, pro-government media workers accused<\/a> al-Noury of quoting opponents\u2019 lies that Rifaat al-Assad stole millions from the Central Bank of Syria.<\/p>\n

Forcing Al-Noury to Retract his Statements and Apologize<\/strong><\/h5>\n

On 30 January 2022, Al-Madina FM. announced<\/a> on its official Facebook page that Al Mukhtar show would \u00a0sit with al-Noury again in order to explain the \u201cconfusion\u201d that emerged following the statements he gave during the previous interview.<\/p>\n

When Al-Noury appeared<\/a> on the show again, he retracted his statements related to the Syrian Army and freedom, \u00a0claiming that his statements were clipped and taken out of context.<\/p>\n

On the same day, Abbas al-Noury’s wife, the well-known Syrian writer Aa’nud Khaled, launched a Facebook solidarity campaign<\/a> with al-Noury under the hashtag \u201c#Solidarity_WithAbbas_Al-Nouri\u201d. The campaign received a response from hundreds of Syrians who re-posted the hashtag, including Syrian actresses Shokran Mortga<\/a> and Reem Zeno, Syrian actor Ayman Zidan<\/a>, and Syrian singer Samih Choukaer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Domestic Laws Choke Freedom of Expression<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The current Syrian Constitution<\/a>, which came into effect in 2012, states in Article 42 \u201cEvery citizen shall have the right to freely and openly express his views whether in writing or orally or by all other means of expression.\u201d And in Article 36: \u201cThe inviolability of private life shall be protected by the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the Syrian law has several provisions that limit fundamental human rights, especially the right to freedom of expression. These provisions give the executive authorities a free hand to silence the mouths of dissenters and to prosecute and fine them for speaking their opinions.<\/p>\n

The Syrian Media Law of 2011<\/strong><\/h5>\n

On 28 August 2011, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ratified a new media law under Legislative Decree<\/a> No. 108 of 2011. The Syrian Media Law of 2011 states:<\/p>\n

Article 2: \u201cMedia, with all its means, is independent and can freely delivers its message within the framework of the constitution and law.\u201d<\/p>\n

Article 3: The practice of media work is based on the following basic rules:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Freedom of expression and fundamental freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the relevant international conventions ratified by the Syrian government.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In 2013, President Bashar al-Assad issued Decree No. 199 establishing that the National Media Council be responsible for regulating the media sector. The Decree named the nine members of the Council and claimed that it would be autonomous and independent financially and administratively. However, in practice, the National Media Council is an instrument of the Executive. The National Media Council has the full power to prevent the issuance of any action, behavior, or statement that may anger the authorities, and to prosecute the persons responsible for it. Moreover, any media outlet (A newspaper, TV. channel, radio, website, news agency,etc) who wants to operate in Syria must apply for a license from the National Media Council, who has the absolute right to grant it or not. Furthermore, the Council can revoke the license of any operating media outlet without a warrant, according to Articles 22 and 100 of the Syrian Media Law. The media freedoms in Syria have been curtailed since it became supervised by the Executive, albeit indirectly.<\/p>\n

    The Syrian Media Law explicitly refers to taboo topics as:<\/p>\n