Syria has been suffocating over the past 41 years as a result of the Emergency Laws which were imposed on the 8th of March 1963 following the coup de tat which brought the Ba’th Party to power. Despite the approval of a permanent constitution in 1973, which itself consisted of grave faults and shortcoming, Article 153 thereof stopped any of its contents being implemented, as it stipulated the continuance of the state of emergency, and legitimised all exceptional laws, tyrannical measures and on-site court trials that followed, all of which continue to be practiced and in effect under the pretext of countering the foreign enemy.

Throughout those 41 years, the state of emergency has expanded to include many more oppressive, arbitrary and tyrannical laws that have been enacted and many courts, both special and exceptional, have been held. Under the pretext of the martial laws, prison cells have been filled and thousands have been detained and inhumanely tortured. 17,000 political prisoners remain unaccounted for and are thought to have died under torture or have been killed in one of the many massacres committed in the prisons of Palmyra and Al-Mazza as well as in the various Intelligence and Security Force bureaus throughout Syria, following fictitious trials which lacked the most basic principles of justice and impartiality.

It goes without saying that all sections of the political, social and racial array have suffered immensely from these oppressive and arbitrary measures, and many continue to linger in Syrian prison cells because of their political views, ideas, stands, affiliations or tendencies. One of the main consequences of the imposition of Emergency Laws, was that authority and power were concentrated in the hands of a small group who took advantage of this, exercised oppression and tyranny across the board, and committed a number of massacres which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of innocent citizens.

The totalitarian authority governing Syria has proved its absolute failure in solving any of the country’s political, social, economic or ethnic problems and resorted to exercising extreme oppression instead, and referred all problems through security and intelligence channels in accordance to the mandate granted by the Emergency Laws and the exceptional regulations that followed.
Furthermore, the regime failed in dealing with critical issues, ranging from the occupied Syrian lands to Syria’s presence in Lebanon and many other issues no less threatening to the country and its future.

The continuation of Emergency Laws over a number of decades has resulted in the country reaching a state of total political and social collapse, economic stagnation and malfunction, widespread corruption, siphoning of national wealth and the transgression of security forces in respect to all sectors of Syrian life.

As a result of the regime’s continued insistence to pursue the same oppressive means through the persistence of the state of emergency and martial laws throughout the country despite all the appeals and calls from human rights groups and civil society organisations, the Syrian Human Rights Committee has declared the 8th of March 2004 a national day of protest against the state of emergency and calls for a total upheaval and reform of political, social, cultural, ideological and economic areas, following 41 years of such an abnormal state of affairs. SHRC also calls on Syrians as well as Syria’s friends and those who uphold human rights all over the world, to hold a peaceful vigil in front of Syrian Embassies on the 8th of March 2004, and call for the following:

1. The lifting of the state of emergency and martial laws.

2. The annulment of all exceptional courts and trials.

3. Ceasing all oppressive and exceptional laws which were issued under the state of emergency.

4. Stopping all tyrannical detentions and pursuits outside the realms of the law and justice.

5. The release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and the compensation of all those who spent years in prison and suffered immensely on all levels.

6. Reinstating the civil rights and liberties to all those whom were stripped thereof and compensating them for the harm that came unto them as a result.

7. Allowing the return of those exiled and deported whether voluntarily or forcibly and offering them legal guarantees of a safe passage.

8. Opening the cases of those who have disappeared and are unaccounted for and reinstating their or their relatives’ rights and offering them compensation.

9. Reinstating the Syrian citizenship to those whom were stripped of it without due right and in contradiction of the Constitution.

10. Allowing public freedoms including the freedom of expression and the formation of political parties and civil organisations in order to steer the country towards a democratic future.

Accordingly, the Interim Executive Office of the Syrian Human Rights Committee in London, has decided to hold a peaceful vigil in front of the Syrian Embassy in London on Monday the 8th of March from 1.00 pm until 3.00 pm, demanding the lifting of the state of emergency and achieving the demands listed above.

The Syrian Human Rights Committee appeals to Syrian citizens in other capital cities to arrange for similar vigils on the aforementioned date.

Address of Syrian Embassy in London
8 Belgrave Square
SW1X 8PH
London

Nearest Underground Stations:
Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly Line)
Knightsbridge (Piccadilly Line)
Victoria (Victoria, District and Circle Lines)