The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Crippling US Sanctions | demonstrations in Jabal Al-Arab calling for toppling of Syrian regime and demanding Iran and Russia leave Syria

As  all Syrian provinces experience astronomically inflated prices of staples and essential products following the ongoing currency plunge, SOHR activists have monitored tens of people demonstrating in front of Al-Saraya building in Al-Suwaidaa city. The demonstrators protested the deteriorating economic and living conditions across Syria as well as the prohibitively high prices of basic products.

The protesters chanted anti-regime slogans saying “Syria is for us, it is not for Al-Assad’s family .. Come on, Bashar, go away .. People want to bring down the regime”. The protesters also demanded the Iranians and Russians leave Syria.

Yesterday, large shops and fuel stores in most of Syria’s provinces were partly closed after the Syrian pound hit a new record low in the past hours. The Syrian pound against the US dollar approached 2,500 SYL, which, in turn, resulted in  price increases of all goods to a level unaffordable by the many, in addition to the lack of many products and supplies.

In regime-held areas, some merchants in Latakia, Homs, Hama, Damascus, Daraa and Al-Suwaidaa closed their shops and upped the prices to unprecedented levels, as the value of the Syrian pound keeps falling.

The ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection issued a circular obligating  wholesale dealers and retailers in Al-Hal markets in all provinces to keep registering the movement of buying and selling of their stuffs and to abide by the official prices set by the relevant bodies.

While in SDF-controlled areas, residents called to demonstrate in Al-Qamishly city in rural Al-Haskah, protesting the harsh living conditions in the shadow of currency plunge. Also the markets in areas under the control of SDF experienced dramatic price increases and business and trade ground to a halt .

In north-western Syria, on the other hand, SOHR activists in Idlib monitored popular resentment, as some bread bakeries raised the price of a bundle of bread of 775 g to 600 SYL, after a bundle of 850 g used to be sold for 500 SYL.

Residents predict that it would cost 800 SYL to buy a bundle of bread in the incoming days because of lack of fuel and the high cost of raw materials and production.