General strike in Hama against "real estate appraisal" decisions 

On Sunday, Hama city witnessed a near-total shutdown of shops in the main markets, in coincidence with a gathering of hundreds of affected residents in front of the Sultan Mosque. This action came in response to calls from "the Committee for the Protection of Real Estate Owners' Rights" to protest against the recent real estate appraisal decisions, which they described as "catastrophic."

The committee emphasized that public anger has reached its peak due to the intransigence of the appraisal committees and their insistence on imposing rent valuation figures for commercial properties (shops) under the long-term usufruct rights system, figures that are disproportionate to the economic reality and the purchasing power of citizens.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the new figures reflect the enormous gap in the valuations, with committees affiliated with the interim government raising annual rents and taxes by percentages exceeding 15,000% in some cases.

Those affected pointed out that the appraisal of some properties suddenly jumped from 800,000 Syrian pounds to more than 120 million pounds, which they considered "destructive" to commercial activity in the city, in addition to being a move lacking clear legal basis.

As shown in a video circulating online from the closed Burhan market, protesters directly accused the appraisal committees of operating based on personal interpretations that "wronged them."

Furthermore, Syrian markets have recently been experiencing disruptions resulting from amendments to financial and real estate tax laws, which experts see as placing additional pressure on the business sector already weakened by inflation and the devaluation of the Syrian pound against the dollar.