Emergency Law – Legislative Decree #51


Country: Syria

Law: Emergency Law – Legislative Decree No. 51

Date Enacted: December 22, 1962

Link: http://www.shrc.org/data/aspx/d4/254.aspx#D3

 

 

 

Text:

 

Article 4

The Military Governor or his deputy may issue written directives to take all or some of the following actions or measures, and may refer violations to military courts:

a. Impose restrictions on the freedom of persons in terms of holding meetings, residence, transport, movements, and detaining suspects or people threatening public security and order on a temporary basis, authorizing the conducting of investigations related to both persons and places at any time, and requesting any person to perform any task.

b. Monitor all types of letters, phone calls, newspapers, bulletins, books, drawings, publications, broadcasts, and all forms of expression, propaganda, and advertisements prior to publication. It is required to seize, confiscate, discard, cancel their concession and close their printers’ shops.

c. Specify the times during which public places are opened and closed.

d. Withdraw licenses for keeping arms, ammunitions, explosive materials and other types of explosives, withdraw their delivery orders and seize such materials and close arms stores.

e. Evacuate or isolate some areas, organize transportation vehicles, restrict and limit transportation between different areas.

f. Seize any movable property or real estate, impose temporary guarding on companies and firms, and postpone due debts and liabilities incurred on the seized portion of the property or real estate.

g. Specify punishments imposed on violations of these orders provided that the punishments are not more than imprisonment for three years and a fine of S£3000 or either punishment. In the event that the order does not specify the punishment for violation of such rules, the perpetrator of the violation should be punished by imprisonment for a period of not more than 6 months and a fine of S£500 or by either punishment.

However, all the above mentioned punishments should not be incompatible with the stronger punishments indicated within other laws.