Syria Tries to Ease Deep Political Crisis
By MICHAEL SLACKMAN
NYT
CAIRO — The Syrian government tried to ease a grave political crisis on Sunday by blaming armed gangs for killing 12 people in the northwestern port city of Latakia in previous days and promising to soon lift a draconian emergency law that allows the government to detain people without charges.
Despite an announcement that the president, Bashar al-Assad, would address the nation on Sunday night, he stayed out of sight, as he has during more than a week of unrest that is threatening his own 11-year presidency and more than 40 years of his family’s iron-fisted rule. At least 61 people have died during crackdowns on protesters in several cities.
The capital, Damascus, was quiet throughout the day, offering a veneer of calm at a time of great uncertainty. Speculation over high-level conflicts swirled as Syrians retreated to their homes, fearful of more protests and more bloodshed. There were rumors of cracks within the insular and opaque leadership of the nation, while the government sent out competing messages of compromise and crackdowns.
There was also confusion over what, if anything, the government was planning regarding the emergency law. A government official told reporters in Damascus that it would soon be repealed. But the official did not explain what it would mean to remove the emergency law, in place since 1963, given that so many other laws restrict freedoms and grant immunity to the secret police.
(More here.)
NYT
CAIRO — The Syrian government tried to ease a grave political crisis on Sunday by blaming armed gangs for killing 12 people in the northwestern port city of Latakia in previous days and promising to soon lift a draconian emergency law that allows the government to detain people without charges.
Despite an announcement that the president, Bashar al-Assad, would address the nation on Sunday night, he stayed out of sight, as he has during more than a week of unrest that is threatening his own 11-year presidency and more than 40 years of his family’s iron-fisted rule. At least 61 people have died during crackdowns on protesters in several cities.
The capital, Damascus, was quiet throughout the day, offering a veneer of calm at a time of great uncertainty. Speculation over high-level conflicts swirled as Syrians retreated to their homes, fearful of more protests and more bloodshed. There were rumors of cracks within the insular and opaque leadership of the nation, while the government sent out competing messages of compromise and crackdowns.
There was also confusion over what, if anything, the government was planning regarding the emergency law. A government official told reporters in Damascus that it would soon be repealed. But the official did not explain what it would mean to remove the emergency law, in place since 1963, given that so many other laws restrict freedoms and grant immunity to the secret police.
(More here.)
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2 Comments:
As had long been predicted, Syrian President Bashar Assad indeed delivered his Wednesday address on the growing unrest in his nation. But while the speech was expected to be a plea for order and a promise of myriad reforms, it was instead a defiant moment.
“People want to see an end to corruption. But on the street, people are also saying ‘We want to see reforms, but we want to see Bashar al-Assad stay in power’.” Assad was expected to use the address to discuss a string of reforms announced last week, amid a wave of dissent and protests demanding more freedoms. But he failed to elaborate on any such reforms. The speech came a day after the country’s cabinet resigned.
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