A number of residents of Rif Dimashq Governorate staged a protest on Saturday, 26 September 2026, in the Dahiyat Qudsaya area of Rif Dimashq, protesting the continued enforcement of the Expropriation Law enacted by Legislative Decree No. 20 of 1983 and the establishment of investment projects on their land. Residents halted the machinery that had begun initial excavation works for those projects and stormed the headquarters of "Abyat Hills" and "Cham View," the two companies responsible for executing residential projects on their land in the area.
Meanwhile, the Damascus Gathering, which includes a number of Damascus city coordination committees, issued a statement demanding the restoration of rights to their rightful owners and urging swift, transparent handling of this issue to preserve trust between society and state institutions by opening channels of communication with landowners to reach equitable solutions that safeguard rights and protect property ownership, as stipulated in the Constitutional Declaration.
This is not the first protest; it was preceded by similar demonstrations, such as the one organized in the city of Muadamiyat al-Sham in Rif Dimashq on 24 September 2026 demanding the restoration of property rights to local residents, the central protest staged by owners of expropriated land in Damascus and its countryside in front of the People's Assembly on 28 August 2026, and repeated protests demanding the repeal of Decree 66 concerning land expropriation and zoning within the "Marota City" and "Basilia City" projects in the Mazzeh and Kafr Sousa areas.
These developments bring the issue of expropriation and urban planning laws and decrees issued under the Assad regime back to the forefront, chief among them Expropriation Law No. 20 of 1983, Urban Expansion Law No. 60 of 1979 (amended by Law No. 26 of 2000), Decree 66 of 2012, and Law No. 10 of 2018—legislative measures that interfered to varying degrees with land zoning, urban expansion, and property rights. This is especially salient given that the General Housing Establishment opened several expropriated plots to investment without involving the landowners, amid clear disregard for calls to repeal these laws and decrees since the early days of liberation.
Neither the Rif Dimashq Governorate nor the General Housing Establishment has issued a statement outlining their stance on addressing this issue, particularly given that Rif Dimashq Governorate announced on 13 March 2025 the formation of a committee to assess the status of expropriations and restore rights to their owners without taking any executive measures on the ground; this state of inaction has fueled the current escalation of popular protests.
Continued disregard for landowners' demands may prompt further escalation amid growing societal support for protests demanding justice for residents and the restoration of property rights. This may be compounded by a lack of trust in government institutions, which has begun to decline following a series of decisions raising electricity and fuel prices, alongside the neglect of numerous domestic files related to living standards. The nature of the issue indicates that addressing it may require a legal and participatory process between landowners and government institutions, which could include a series of measures, most notably:
● Immediately halting all investment projects being developed on expropriated land.
● Forming a committee by presidential decree to address the Expropriation Law and Decree 66, comprising legal and economic figures, representatives of landowners, and members of the Supreme Fatwa Council.
● Forming a representative committee of landowners to organize claims and ensure justice for owners of expropriated land.
● Forming a document-review committee linked to the committee overseeing expropriation and urban planning projects in the People's Assembly.
● Expediting the repeal of legacy laws from the Assad regime, such as the Expropriation Law and Decree 66, and addressing their legal ramifications that serve as the basis for establishing and completing investment projects on expropriated land, similar to the People's Assembly's passage of the abolition of the Counter-Terrorism Court on 16 September 2026 and the overturning of its rulings.
● Expediting the enactment of the Transitional Justice Law, given the connection between the mandate of the National Commission for Transitional Justice and the economic justice portfolio, including redressing the impacts of expropriation laws and Decree 66.
● Passing draft legislation on financial compensation and reparations for owners of expropriated land upon which investment projects have been built.
● Drawing upon the experiences of Arab countries that have addressed the issue of expropriated lands, contributing to the development of a legal framework that restores rights through mechanisms of reparations and redressing injustices.
Ultimately, addressing the legal legacy of the Assad regime's rule remains one of the fundamental issues contributing to building trust between Syrian society and state institutions, rebuilding positive social capital, and advancing social justice and community security.