Signatures collected in Syria to repeal law against Brotherhood — Asharq Al-Awsat
In Syria, lawmakers are collecting signatures to submit a proposal to repeal Law No. 49 of 1980, which imposes the death penalty for membership in the Muslim Brotherhood. The initiative emerged amid statements by the group about its intention to return to political life after decades of being banned, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.
Abdel Nasser Houshan, head of the People’s Assembly committee on constitutional and legislative affairs, said that the initiative is still at the signature-collection stage and has not been submitted to parliament. Under the assembly’s rules, support from at least 17 lawmakers is needed to draft a bill and refer it to the relevant committee.
A law from the era of Hafez al-Assad
Law No. 49 was adopted in July 1980 under the rule of then-President Hafez al-Assad. It classified every member of the Muslim Brotherhood as a criminal facing the death penalty. The law became one of the tools in the authorities’ confrontation with the organization; its members and supporters faced arrests and persecution for years.
Hussam Jazmati, a researcher of Islamist organizations, expects broad support for repealing the document both in parliament and beyond it. He stressed that the security services of the former authorities used the law to persecute people merely suspected of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
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Uncertain rules for parties
The legal status of Law No. 49 remains unclear. A declaration adopted on January 29, 2025, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, suspended all exceptional laws. At the same time, it is unclear whether this decision applies to Law No. 49 or whether it must be repealed through a separate legislative act.
The declaration also provided for the dissolution of the Baath Party, the parties of the National Progressive Front, and affiliated structures, but did not abolish all political parties without exception. This left the legal basis for party activity during the transitional period unresolved.
On September 27, 2026, the Shura of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood issued a 16-point statement confirming its desire to participate in political life and calling for pluralism and rules for party activity. Abdel Rahman al-Haj, a researcher of Islamist movements, called the possible consideration of repealing the law a test of the political will of Syria’s transitional authorities.
