Regime repression | Popular derision over Administrative Court’s ruling placing “MTN” telecommunication company under “judicial guardianship”
Syrian regime Minister of Telecommunications, Eyad Al-Khatib, and the director of the Syrian Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority filed a lawsuit against “MTN” telecommunication company, demanding the company be put under “judicial guardianship”. Pursuant to a ruling issued in the headquarters of the Council of State in Damascus on February 25, 2021, the Administrative Court has placed “MTN” under a “judicial guardianship”.
The Court’s lawsuit states the following:
1- Rejection of the two appeals presented by the General Commission for Taxes and Tele Invest limited company.
2- “MTN” telecommunication company to be placed under judicial guardianship, while Tele Invest limited company to assume this task as a judicial guard with a monthly salary of some 10 million SYL and it have to comply with the articles no. 695 and following articles of the Civil Law.
3- The bodies found not right have to pay all fees, charges and attorney’s fees.
On the other hand, social media activists have denounced and derided the Court’s lawsuit, especially since the “judicial guard” is the joint-stock company which shares a large portion of “MTN” telecommunication company’s stock.
On September 25, 2020, reliable SOHR sources confirmed that regime security services released most of the individuals arrested during the recent security campaign which started in late April 2020, including officers, regime soldiers, managers, employees, technicians and fighters working for businesses and associations belonging to Rami Makhlouf.
According to SOHR sources, regime security services released 185 persons in the past 48 hours, while 12 others (nine employees and three officers and soldiers) remained imprisoned. The released individuals are as follows:
- Regime officers and soldiers: 58
- Employees working for Rami Makhlouf: 98
- Ex-fighters in the military wing of “Al-Bostan Association”: 57
- Other employees, managers, and technicians: 41
It is worth noting that this release came at a time when tens of thousands of anti-regime activists and oppositionists detained in regime intelligence services’ prisons.