Click to readThe right to freedom of association Old Constraints in the New Syria

This paper addresses the reality of the right OF associations in light of the issuance of the constitutional declaration and administrative decisions by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor regarding the regularization of civil institutions in Syria.

Position: Systematic Undermining of the Right OF Association

 FFHR affirms that the administrative decisions issued by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, regulating the work of civil society organizations, collectively represent a systematic assault on the right to form associations. The administrative authority appears to remain stuck in its pre-revolutionary mindset. Rectifying this imbalance requires a new spirit from the Ministry—one that sheds the sins and legacies of a past against which Syrians revolted for decades. The right to form associations must be seen as part of a comprehensive and interrelated rights package within the realm of civil and political rights, including:

• The right to peaceful assembly;
• The right to freedom of opinion and expression;
• The right to personal liberty and security;
• The right to political participation;
• The right to access information;
• The right to effective remedy and accountability for human rights violations;
• The right to equality and non-discrimination.