The Syrian People’s Assembly has taken significant steps toward dismantling discriminatory statutes and modernizing the country’s legal framework, approving the repeal of a decades‑old property seizure law and reviewing a broad package of reforms spanning public sector employment, the penal code, real estate regulations, and national security
Abdul Nasser Houshan, Chairman of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, said the assembly has received three draft laws referred by the President of the Republic, in addition to a legislative proposal submitted by several members of parliament. He stressed that the assembly’s current priority is to review and abolish laws that have long imposed unjust burdens on large segments of society.
Speaking to Al‑Ikhbariya TV, Houshan outlined the details of the reform package. One of the central draft laws seeks to repeal a 2014 statute that reserved half of all public sector job vacancies for the families of deceased members of the “National Defence Forces” and affiliated militias. Houshan said the repeal aims to end employment discrimination and restore social equity, noting that the previous law granted preferential treatment to specific groups in violation of the Constitutional Declaration’s prohibition on discrimination.
Houshan also announced the assembly’s approval of a draft law repealing Law No. 521 of 1955, which had granted the Minister of Education sweeping authority to expropriate land for educational facilities. In a separate vote, lawmakers unanimously repealed Law No. 143 of 1958, another legacy statute empowering the minister to seize private property deemed necessary for the ministry’s mission. The repeal passed with a 95.77 percent majority during the opening session of the assembly’s first regular legislative term.
The third proposal under review concerns amendments to Article 364 of the General Penal Code, which criminalizes “job abandonment” or unauthorized absence by public employees. The draft amendment would reduce the penalty to three months to one year in prison — or a fine — replacing the current six‑month to three‑year sentence. Houshan added that lawmakers are considering a full repeal of Article 364, coordinating with the Ministries of Administrative Development and Higher Education to incorporate relevant provisions into the new Universities Law and Article 23 of the forthcoming Civil Service Law, thereby preventing legislative overlap.
Regarding the proposal to repeal the Border Lands Law, the Constitutional Committee concluded that a full repeal would be inappropriate at this stage. Houshan said the sensitivity of border regions is directly tied to national security, particularly the need to prevent unlawful enclaves or land ownership by entities linked to hostile states. The committee recommended retaining the law while easing regulatory procedures to facilitate property transactions, licensing, and administrative processes for citizens. The proposal has been referred to the National Security and Defence Committee and the Investment Committee for further study in coordination with the Ministries of Defence, Interior, and Agriculture.
Following the vote on the property seizure repeal, the assembly referred the remaining legislative proposals to specialized committees for detailed review. According to the state news agency SANA, the session’s agenda also included reading a summary of the closing proceedings of the previous extraordinary session and reviewing written responses from the Ministers of Education and Energy to parliamentary inquiries. Lawmakers additionally approved a proposal from the Executive Committee of the Syrian Arab Parliamentary Division to form an official delegation representing the assembly in the Arab Parliament, following the selection of delegates during an earlier committee meeting.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
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