Damascus denies Syrian land-grabbing law still published on state media

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - A Syrian official denied the existence of a presidential decree in which the government would confiscate property from its citizens if ownership is not "confirmed" within 30 days, a law critics call an attempt to legitimize the permanent exile of those it sees as undesirable and a blatant land grab.

Just as blatant appears to be the questionable nature of the denial, since the full text of the law was being featured on Syria's own state media at the time its existence was being denied.

"There is no decree on this subject. And, in my opinion, such a decree would violate the constitution," Secretary of the Syrian People's Assembly Khaled Al-Aboud told the Russian news agency Sputnik on Saturday.

Text of the decree itself, published on the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) in early April, directly contradicts the statement.

To legally retain rights to houses, buildings, farmland, and other assets, property owners or their representatives must "submit an application to the administrative unit within thirty days of the date of the declaration by an application specifying his or her chosen residence... accompanied by documents."

As the law was issued on April 2, property owners presumably have only four more days to complete the process before permanently losing all claim to it. This comes at a time when more than 10 million displaced Syrian refugees are not physically able to return home or would face extreme danger by doing so, including at the hands of government forces.

"The Syrian government does not think this way. The government understands that many Syrians today can not reach their areas," said Aboud. "How can such a decree be issued in light of the inability of citizens to access their documents and assert their ownership?"

Since it was first announced, the law has been roundly criticized by other governments, international organizations, and the media.

“For millions of internally displaced and refugees, such proof [of ownership] will most likely be mission impossible,” said Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut, in a report published Thursday in The Guardian.

“Many left without title deeds, some lived in informal settlements, therefore without legally recognised proof of ownership and for others – mainly refugees – going back to Syria to provide such proof is tantamount to a suicide mission."