Protests in Idlib against Central Bank measures

Over the past two days, Idlib city witnessed a protest wave by exchange shops and companies, and citizens who were affected by the decision to seize motorcycles. They protested against procedures that were "unjust" and "discriminatory."

A number of money changers protested in the city square against the new policies that the judicial police of the Central Bank of Syria began implementing in Idlib. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the policies aim to regulate the financial sector and enhance control over the licensing of exchange offices, currency trading, and remittances.

Protesters shouted slogans denouncing the new measures, holding the transitional government responsible for imposing them in an arbitrary manner and perceiving them as a direct threat to their business and livelihood, especially in light of what they described as the "ill-treatment" they sustained when they went to financial departments.

Some predicted that the measures would lead to mass shop closures, at a time when the city is suffering from a severe economic slump.

In the same context, two other protests were organized in Idlib by a number of citizens in protest against the decision to confiscate motorcycles. They deemed the decision "collective punishment" for a broad segment of the population who use bicycles as a means of livelihood and transportation.

The protests were held under the slogan: "If you want us to respect the law, start with justice."

ANHA