Lawyer Muhammad Mu'atez al-Ali told "Sham": Syrian law criminalizes insulting religions and inciting sectarian conflicts, punishable by imprisonment and a fine.
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Lawyer Muhammad Mu'atez al-Ali said in an interview with Dama News that the Syrian law includes texts that discriminate against acts related to insulting religions and religious ceremonies and inciting sectarian and sectarian conflicts, and details the punishments resulting from them. He explained that there is no unified and independent law called a "law against hate speech", since the provisions are distributed between the General Penal Law and its amendments and the Law on the Prohibition of Cybercrime.
Al-Ali noted that the distinction between freedom of expression, abuse, hate speech, and incitement to violence is related to the nature of the behavior, its content, and its effects, and noted that incitement to violence or discrimination constitutes a different level of danger because of the threat it entails to the rights of others and the peace of citizens.
The lawyer explained that mocking beliefs or identities may become a crime when the legal elements are present, such as publicity and criminal intent, and emphasized that the distinction between criticism and a punishable offense is based on an assessment of the facts and evidence, and not on the feeling of insult of one party only.
Al-Ali stated that Section 462 of the Penal Code, related to insulting religions and religious ceremonies, provides for a prison sentence of between two and two months in addition to a monetary fine, while Section 307 concerning inciting sectarian or class conflicts includes a prison sentence of between 6 months and three years and depending on a monetary fine. situation.
The lawyer confirmed that acts published electronically fall within the scope of the law for the prevention of cybercrimes issued in Legislative Decree No. 20 of 2022, Article 28 of which includes penalties of up to three to five years in prison and fines of millions of Syrian pounds for content aimed at national incitement or incitement.
Al-Ali explained that proving cybercrime depends on digital evidence, which includes screenshots and electronic links, in addition to technical expertise, checking accounts and tracking technical data and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to verify the veracity of accounts, especially when the person denies their connection to the post.