Damascus Spring
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2009) |
The Damascus Spring (
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Background
Officially a republic, Syria has been governed by the Ba'ath Party since 1963, and by the Al-Assad family since 1970. A state of emergency was in place from 1963 until 2011.
Under
From 1998 on, the level of repression diminished noticeably. Following the
Events
The "Damascus Spring" was characterised above all by the emergence of numerous muntadayāt (singular muntadā), referred to in
The Damascus Spring can be seen as having mobilised around a number of political demands, expressed in the "Manifesto of the 99" signed by prominent intellectuals. These were, principally, the cancellation of the state of emergency and abolition of martial law and special courts; the release of all political prisoners; the return without fear of prosecution of political exiles; and the right to form political parties and civil organisation. To these was often added the more precisely political demand that Article 8 of the Syrian constitution be repealed. This article provides that "the Arab Socialist Ba'th Party leads the state and society".
The Damascus Spring made a major impact across the Arab world, and initially there was considerable optimism that it would lead to real change. The editor of the Syrian state Tishrin newspaper announced his intention of forming a committee, to comprise prominent intellectuals such as
In November 2000, the government responded with the release of hundreds of political prisoners and the closure of
Though the arrests ended the Damascus Spring, its effects persisted: Syrian intellectuals released further statements echoing that of the 99; some small demonstrations took place in Damascus; and until 2005 one salon, the
Aftermath
Following intense international pressure on the Syrian government after the assassination of
In 2011, following a
Bouthaina Shaaban, the media adviser to the Syrian president, has presented three sets of initiatives. The first would be to increase the wage of state workers and offer healthcare, thus improving living standards and public support. The second would decrease the regulation of buying and selling land in Syria's border regions. The third would have to address political and media suppression, decreasing corruption and the brutality of their emergency laws.[5]
References
- ^ No Room to Breathe, October 16, 2007
- ^ "No Room to Breathe: State Repression of Human Rights Activism in Syria". Human Rights Watch. 16 October 2007.
- ^ Roumani, Rhonda (19 January 2006). "Syria Frees 5 Political Activists". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Syrian 'Damascus Spring' activist set free". Amnesty International. Associated Press. 15 November 2011. Archived from the original on 17 November 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ Leif Ericksson (March 25, 2011). "Syria: A Damascus spring revisited?". worldpress.com. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
External links
- "The Damascus Spring". Carnegie Middle East Center. Retrieved 1 October 2018.