Syria lifts emergency law
President Bashar al-Assad lifted Syria’s 48-year-old state of emergency law on Tuesday, meeting a key demand of anti-government protesters. The state security court, which handled the trials of political dissidents, has been abolished and a new law allowing peaceful demonstrations has been approved. Syria’s interior minister, Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shaar, ordered protesters “to refrain from taking part in rallies in the interests of safety and stability,” and said that further protests would be suppressed “in the interest of the safety of the people and the stability of the country.” News outlets have obtained footage of security forces firing on protesters in the western city of Homs. About 5,000 people had gathered in Homs’ Clock Square on Monday following the funerals for 12 protesters killed in violence over the weekend, until security forces came and started firing tear gas and live rounds.
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