Since its readmission to the Arab League in May of last year, Syria has made a point of responding to the demands of the Arab Ministerial Contact Committee, which was established to improve conditions in Syria, facilitate the return of refugees, and work toward ending the conflict.
The regime has announced changes to its security apparatus, revisions in its military service laws, and anti-drug raids. These act as mere façades, window dressing that yields no tangible improvements on the ground.
More troubling is the regime’s increased reliance on a series of legislative measures, issued since the beginning of the conflict, to collectively punish its opponents and their families, particularly evident in the Syrian Ministry of Finance's recent spate of unlawful asset freezes.
State’s seizure orders
Since the start of the year, hundreds of people have been targeted with asset freezes, violating their rights and obstructing refugees and displaced persons from returning to their homes.
A detailed report by the Syrian Network for Human Rights reveals that, in 2024, precautionary seizure orders were issued against 818 individuals in the town of Zakia, in rural Damascus, that was recaptured from opposition groups in 2016.
Notably, 287 of these 818 individuals currently live in Zakia after having previously undergone a reconciliation process with the regime, which should theoretically have ensured their protection from further retaliation.
Yet, as in other areas, these processes appear to have been used primarily for intelligence gathering rather than a genuine clean slate and protection.
