On the issuance of new legislative decrees in Syria
Syria, Economics, 4/26/2000

The BBC said on Tuesday that Syrian President Hafez al-Assad issued on Monday evening three legislative decrees pertaining to crimes of smuggling, economic penalty for use of foreign currency and precious metals.

The radio reported that after implementation of these decrees, thousands of citizens in custody in the Syrian prisons will be freed in atmospheres which seem to constitute a real detente in the economic and social life in Syria.

The BBC correspondent in Damascus stated in a report on Tuesday that tens of thousands of Syrians who are prisoners will also be released after the said presidential decrees.

The correspondent indicated that the punishment resulting from economic smuggling and foreign currencies used to be controlled by economic courts, a matter which used to be a great pressure on the personnel of these courts to keep the arrested people in prison without trials for periods ranging from one month to five years. She stated that according to the new decrees these cases are to be submitted to special civil courts if the smuggling crime is of a value of less than US $6 million.

The correspondent quoted Syrian sources as saying the release of those prisoners will result in an economic and social detente in Syria and will also help enable Syrian citizens to get rid of routine and bureaucratic measures at a time when Syria is heading forward to make fundamental changes in economic reforms, openness to the world's countries and urgent attempts to attract Arab and foreign investments.

Previous Stories:
  Al-Assad enacts three decrees on economic crimes   (4/25/2000)
  Syrian - Saudi free trade zone opened   (4/24/2000)
  Head of the delegation of the European Commission in Damascus   (4/24/2000)

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