Current Version
| Region | Syria |
| Issue | Censorship of LGBT Issues |
| Status | State-enforced |
| Start Date | 1949 |
| End Date | now |
| Description | Article 208 of the Penal Code (1949) prohibits "offensive public utterances" in writing, graphics, images, and other forms of expression. Before the civil war, it was reported that films with LGBT content were censored. In June 2022, it was reported that Syria's Directorate of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection confiscated around 600 rainbow kites as their designs were similar to the pride flag and therefore "indicating homosexuality". Various articles of Law No. 93 (1958) allow the Ministry to appoint or remove board members, disallow political participation, foreign funding, and allow the registration to be rescinded at will. Further, Article 35 allows any Board decision to be suspended “if it deems it to be against the law, the public order or morals”. This legal framework appears to pose severe barriers to the formal registration and the operation of an organisation working on sexual and gender diversity issues. |
| Sources | https://database.ilga.org/syria-lgbti https://coar-global.org/2021/06/22/lgbtq-syria-experiences-challenges-and-priorities-for-the-aid-sector/ |
Revision History (12)
Revision by Nathan. Correction
| Old Value | New Value (Current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | No censorship | State-enforced |
| Start Date | (NONE) | 1949 |
| Description | No Official censorship | Article 208 of the Penal Code (1949) prohibits "offensive public utterances" in writing, graphics, images, and other forms of expression. Before the civil war, it was reported that films with LGBT content were censored. In June 2022, it was reported that Syria's Directorate of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection confiscated around 600 rainbow kites as their designs were similar to the pride flag and therefore "indicating homosexuality". Various articles of Law No. 93 (1958) allow the Ministry to appoint or remove board members, disallow political participation, foreign funding, and allow the registration to be rescinded at will. Further, Article 35 allows any Board decision to be suspended “if it deems it to be against the law, the public order or morals”. This legal framework appears to pose severe barriers to the formal registration and the operation of an organisation working on sexual and gender diversity issues. |
Show Difference | ||
| Sources | https://coar-global.org/2021/06/22/lgbtq-syria-experiences-challenges-and-priorities-for-the-aid-sector/ | https://database.ilga.org/syria-lgbti https://coar-global.org/2021/06/22/lgbtq-syria-experiences-challenges-and-priorities-for-the-aid-sector/ |
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Revision by Canadianstudent03. Previous status highly incorrect
| Old Value | New Value |
|---|
Revision by Canadianstudent03. Previous status highly incorrect
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | (REMOVED) | No censorship |
| Description | Censorship of LGBT-related content is common, and there are limited spaces for public discussion or advocacy for LGBT rights. LGBT individuals often kept their identities hidden to avoid persecution or harm. | No Official censorship |
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Revision by GeorgieTheOrgie. Update
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | State-enforced | (REMOVED) |
| Description | Censorship of LGBT-related content is common, and there are limited spaces for public discussion or advocacy for LGBT rights. LGBT individuals often kept their identities hidden to avoid persecution or harm. | Censorship of LGBT-related content is common, and there are limited spaces for public discussion or advocacy for LGBT rights. LGBT individuals often kept their identities hidden to avoid persecution or harm. |
Show Difference | ||
Revision by Canadianstudent03. As according to the current information
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | No censorship | State-enforced |
| Description | No laws prohibiting LGBTQ issues | Censorship of LGBT-related content is common, and there are limited spaces for public discussion or advocacy for LGBT rights. LGBT individuals often kept their identities hidden to avoid persecution or harm. |
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Revision by GeorgieTheOrgie. Inaccurate Status
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Imprisonment as punishment | No censorship |
| Description | Assad’s authoritarian regime is one of the most restrictive globally | No laws prohibiting LGBTQ issues |
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Revision by JohnQuebec98. Unfortunately, over 90% of Syria is now under Assad’s control
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | (REMOVED) | Imprisonment as punishment |
| Description | There are no laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics in Turkish and Kurdish held territories. There are laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics in Regime, ISIS, Nusra and FSA territories. | Assad’s authoritarian regime is one of the most restrictive globally |
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Revision by GeorgieTheOrgie. Inaccurate Status
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | No censorship | (REMOVED) |
| Description | There are no laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics. | There are no laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics in Turkish and Kurdish held territories. There are laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics in Regime, ISIS, Nusra and FSA territories. |
Show Difference | ||
Revision by GeorgieTheOrgie. Inaccurate Status
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Imprisonment as punishment | No censorship |
| Description | There are laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics. | There are no laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics. |
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Revision by Pizzaslices412653. Punishable by imprisonment
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | (REMOVED) | Imprisonment as punishment |
Revision by GeorgieTheOrgie. Data only applies to certain territories
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Imprisonment as punishment | (REMOVED) |
Revision by JordanB3047
| Old Value (Original) | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | No censorship | Imprisonment as punishment |
| Description | In Syria, there are no laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics. | There are laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics. |
Show Difference | ||
| Sources | https://coar-global.org/2021/06/22/lgbtq-syria-experiences-challenges-and-priorities-for-the-aid-sector/ | |
Show Difference | ||
Reports (2)
- Other "Syrian Police will not bother to make an arrest due to corruption"
- Status is not correct