Publication date: October 2018
This series of papers examines the implications of Law 10, issued by the Syrian regime to complement a series of legislation enacted since 2011. On April 2, 2018, Bashar al-Assad issued decree No. 10 of 2018 to establish one or more urban planning zones within the general site plans of the administrative units based on proposal from the Minister of Local Administration and the Environment, in addition to amending some articles of Legislative Decree No. 66 of 2012.
The law has raised fears among the forcibly displaced persons inside and outside of Syria about the possibility of expropriation of properties in the areas they were displaced from during the conflict. Such legislation could be an obstacle for the return of IDPs and an additional challenge to the efforts to reach a political solution for the Syrian conflict. Observers of this legislation note that they come in parallel with military operations launched by the regime against cities and residential neighborhoods, for obvious objectives and goals.
