Bashar Assad may be gone from Syria, but one of the most damaging laws from his family’s rule remains in force. Law No. 93 of 1958 — the law on associations and private institutions — was long used by Hafez and then Bashar al-Assad to control organizations that might criticize the state, including human rights monitors, charities and women’s-rights groups.
The law let authorities dissolve organizations for loosely defined reasons such as disturbing “public order or morals” or claiming there was “no need” for their services, with no judicial oversight or right of appeal. It also gave the state control over political activity, events, membership in international bodies, registration, board members and staff, and funding, especially foreign funding. In a 2016 submission to the UN Human Rights Council, CIVICUS said the law was used “to completely deny Syrian citizens the right to freedom of association.”
Assad was ousted at the end of 2024, and the interim government has said it plans to repeal the law. But No. 93 remains on the books, and late last year Syria’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor told civil society organizations they must still adhere to it. There are thought to be more than 2,000 civil society organizations working in Syria today, many calling for repeal and new, enabling regulations.
“Laws designed to control, restrict and securitize civil society do not become benign simply because the political leadership changes,” said Amna Guellali, research director at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS). CIHRS published a study in October on the state of civil society in Syria and warned that keeping restrictive legislation in place creates a legal toolkit that can be reactivated at any time. CIHRS said it received no response after recommending repeal; DW’s query to the government also went unanswered.
In practice, the law has been applied inconsistently. Hiba Ezzideen, head of Syria-based women’s rights group Equity and Empowerment, told DW the law is used irregularly. CIHRS interviews with dozens of civil society actors reported similar arbitrary treatment: sometimes actions are taken under the law, sometimes decisions are communicated orally with little explanation. One group said a planned event on transitional justice in Damascus was unexpectedly canceled, while similar events were later permitted.
The Syria Campaign, a UK-based rights organization, has logged cases where local authorities insist on involvement in hiring decisions for civil society groups and reported restrictions on meetings, particularly those by political movements. “We’ve also had reports about restrictions on meetings, especially by political movements,” executive director Razan Rashidi said, though she added this is not necessarily the pattern for all such events.
The uneven enforcement has prompted fears that obstacles might be deliberate, signaling a return to authoritarianism. An off-the-record founder of a Syrian human-rights monitor told DW they wanted to hope the obstructions were not intentional, but noted the state does not have full control over all institutions and that recent intercommunal violence — in which government forces played some role — made the situation harder to interpret.
Fadel Abdul Ghany of the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) urged context. SNHR, which documented abuses across the conflict, faced difficulties registering and opening bank accounts abroad but is now registered in Syria and continues to criticize the state. “Syria is still devastated from conflict,” he said, pointing to corruption, destroyed institutions, lack of funding and experience inherited from the Assad era. He has met ministers who, he says, express a desire for reform but face real challenges.
CIHRS’s Guellali said the current problems reflect both capacity constraints and political choices. “The interim government is facing challenges … But structural and political factors can’t be ignored,” she said, adding that transitional authorities committed to democratic inclusion typically prioritize early legal reforms that protect associational freedoms.
Ezzideen agreed that multiple factors are at play and cautioned against drawing quick conclusions about intent, but stressed the urgent need for clear, systematic reforms.
Many observers see civil society as essential to Syria’s transition. Rashidi noted that since Assad’s fall, many groups — including victims’ groups — have been able to open offices in the country, a development she called “like a dream come true.” With experience gained over 14 years of war, these organizations provide aid and services, help rebuild social cohesion, and have strong community links that could be tapped in shaping public policy.
The central concern among activists and observers is ensuring the current temporary arrangements do not calcify into permanent restrictions. Continued delays in legal reform, they warn, could unintentionally take Syria backward by preserving tools of control from the previous regime. Edited by: A. Thomas