Syria to form special committee to probe civilian and military deaths during protests

[News_Editor]

Syria to form special committee to probe civilian and military deaths during protests

2011-04-01 00:56:40 GMT+7 (ICT)

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BNO NEWS) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday ordered the formation of a special committee to probe civilian and military deaths during anti-government protests, the state-run SANA news agency reported.

The High Judicial Council was directed to set a special judiciary committee that will launch immediate investigations in relation to the casualties in the incidents in Daraa and Lattakia.

In addition, the Syrian leader also announced the formation of a committee to study the recommendation introduced in the 10th Regional Congress of the Baath Arab Socialist Party on resolving problems in the al-Hasaka governorate, where approximately 150,000 Kurds were stripped from Syrian nationality in 1962 due to so-called 'statistics issues'.

The committee set April 15 as the deadline for presenting the results to President al-Assad.

The Baath Arab party, under directives of al-Assad, formed a committee of senior lawyers to study and create a legislation that ensures national security in order to lift the ongoing state of emergency which date back to 1963.

The committee was also directed to consider the preservation of the dignity of citizens and combating terrorism in its legislation. The study is scheduled to be completed on April 25.

The announcements came one day after the Syrian leader addressed the nation in regards to the social unrest witnessed in recent weeks. Al-Assad said that the incidents were part of "a great conspiracy whose tentacles extend to some nearby countries and far-away countries, with some inside the country."

On Tuesday, Al-Assad accepted the resignation of the Syria's 32-member cabinet after two weeks of anti-government protests. In the meantime, Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otari will continue running the country's affairs until the designation of a new government.

Protests in the Middle Eastern country continued on Tuesday as millions of citizens participated in rallies in many provinces, including the capital Damascus. The protests are threatening the 11-year-mandate of al-Assad, who is desperately attempting to control the unrest with a string of concessions.

According to Human Rights Watch, at least 61 people have been killed in Daraa governorate since March 18. The violence against peaceful anti-government demonstrators in Syria has been condemned worldwide, including by the United States and the United Nations.

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