UN Experts Urge Syria to End Laws Behind Mass Property Dispossession

United Nations experts have called on Syria's Transitional Government to suspend laws linked to widespread property loss and forced displacement under the previous regime, warning that reconstruction cannot deliver lasting peace if families remain excluded from their homes, land and neighbourhoods. They want the newly established People's Assembly to review Decree No. 66 of 2012 and Law No. 10 of 2018, replace them with rights-based regulations and place adequate housing at the centre of Syria's future Constitution.

Laws that pushed families from their homes

According to the experts, Decree No. 66 and Law No. 10 allowed redevelopment projects to favour wealthy property interests while weakening the housing security of families with average or modest incomes. Thousands of people were reportedly displaced or dispossessed as valuable urban areas were reorganised for the benefit of a privileged minority, leaving many former residents unable to recover their homes or claim a fair share in redevelopment plans.

The damage caused by these laws reaches far beyond ownership documents. Internally displaced people, refugees and families searching for missing or detained relatives may struggle to prove possession, meet administrative deadlines or participate in legal procedures from outside their communities. Reconstruction carried out under the same legal framework could deepen earlier injustices, especially when affected families lack money, official records or access to public institutions.

Housing rights missing from constitutional protections

Syria's 2025 Constitutional Declaration recognises property rights and the importance of private and family life under Articles 13, 14 and 20, yet it does not expressly protect the right to adequate housing. The experts believe this gap must be corrected in the country's future constitutional settlement so that housing is treated as a basic human right rather than only as a private asset.

Article 48 of the declaration states that exceptional laws which harmed the Syrian people and conflict with human rights should be considered cancelled. No exhaustive list of such legislation has been issued by the Transitional Government, creating uncertainty over whether Decree No. 66, Law No. 10 and related measures remain enforceable. The experts said that, without clear official action, these laws must be regarded as continuing parts of Syria's legal system.

Reconstruction must repair injustice as well as buildings

The experts welcomed efforts to rebuild Syria and address arbitrary displacement, while expressing concern that redevelopment programmes face administrative and financial delays and do not fully respond to the needs of displaced people, returning refugees or families affected by detention and disappearance. Roads, homes and public services may be reconstructed, but social recovery will remain fragile if people believe their property was taken unfairly or that they have no meaningful route to restitution.

A credible transitional justice process must confront the economic and social conditions that contributed to conflict, including unequal access to land, housing and public decision-making. Reviewing harmful property laws, restoring rights where possible and creating fair compensation mechanisms could help rebuild trust between communities and institutions while reducing the risk of further exclusion.

The experts described the present moment as a historic opportunity to turn one of the world's largest displacement crises into an inclusive and sustainable recovery. They urged international partners to support Syria while keeping human rights at the heart of its social, institutional and physical reconstruction. Their concerns have been formally communicated to the Syrian Transitional Government.