Human rights activists criticize "Constitutional Declaration"

Lawyers and human rights activists in North and East Syria called for the cancellation of the recently issued Constitutional Declaration and the formation of a committee representing all Syrian communities to draft a constitution that reflects the aspirations of the Syrian revolution.

Dr. Muwaffaq Muhammad, a professor of international law at the Faculty of Law at Rojava University, said that the Constitutional Declaration "contradicts the democratic approach and nature of the Syrian state."

He pointed out that the name "Syrian Arab Republic" gives it a nationalist character that marginalizes other communities.

Muhammad explained: "Syria is a national state that unites Arabs, Kurds, Druze, Alawites, Christians, and Yazidis. This diversity should have been taken into account in the Constitutional Declaration instead of relying on a single language and religion."

He criticized Article 20 of the declaration, which stipulates that the President of the Republic appoints the People's Assembly, saying, "This is a legal error. The Assembly is supposed to be appointed by the people, not the President."

He also pointed out the contradiction between Article 40 and Article 35, as the former stipulates that the Judicial Council is formed by the executive authority, while the latter affirms the independence of the judiciary.

Reproducing the Previous Regime

Lawyer and human rights activist Khaled Omar said that the Constitutional Declaration "entrenches centralization and excludes Syrian components."

He added, "The formation of the committee that prepared the declaration was wrong, as it did not represent all components. This declaration reproduces the previous regime with all its faults."

Omar explained that "centralization is the root of the Syrian problem. Instead of healing the wounds, the Damascus authorities have re-imposed a centralized system and excluded other components."

Call to Cancel the Declaration

Omar called for the cancellation of the Constitutional Declaration and the formation of a new committee representing all Syrian components to draft a constitution that reflects the aspirations of the Syrian revolution.

He said, "A constitutional declaration based on a single color, language, and ethnicity is unacceptable. Syria is a diverse country, and its constitution must reflect this diversity."

 He stressed that "replacing one regime with another without fundamental change means creating a new dictatorship. The new constitution must express the hopes of the Syrian people who rose up for freedom and justice."

 This criticism comes at a time when Syria is witnessing intense debates about the country's future, as Syrian communities demand their right to actively participate in building a constitution that reflects the diversity of society and guarantees justice for all.

T/S

ANHA