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Landowners in Homs Demand Fair Compensation for Property Used in the Boulevard Al-Nasr Project
A number of landowners in the Syrian city of Homs have sent a message through the Zaman Al-Wasl website to those responsible for the Boulevard Al-Nasr project, demanding payment of the actual value of their properties on which part of the project is being built. They warned that they would seek legal recourse through a collective lawsuit if their demands were not met.
The landowners said their properties had been seized, in their words, under the expropriation law and under pressure from former Homs Governor Mohammad Iyad Ghazal. They said that most rights holders had refused to accept any payments from the Assad regime, while their land was forcibly expropriated on the pretext that it would be allocated for public facilities.
They added that the land is now being used to establish a private investment project targeting wealthy individuals—an arrangement that, according to them, contradicts the purpose for which the expropriation was originally carried out. They also described the compensation received by some landowners as unfair, estimating it at less than 1 percent of the land’s actual value.
**462 Dunams Expropriated Under the Pretext of Establishing “People’s Garden”**
According to information provided by the landowners, Cabinet Resolution No. 5047 of 1994 authorized the expropriation of approximately 462 dunams of orchards in Homs under the pretext of establishing the “People’s Garden” project as a public-benefit initiative.
They also referred to Expropriation Law No. 20 of 1983, which granted state institutions and public entities broad powers to expropriate properties on the grounds of implementing projects serving the public interest, including service and tourism projects.
In 2007, the expropriated land was incorporated into the “Homs Dream” project, led by former Governor Mohammad Iyad Ghazal. The landowners said the project called for transforming the orchards into the “People’s Garden.” However, the garden was never built, and the same area was later allocated for the Boulevard Al-Nasr project, according to their account.
**Calls to Reopen the Expropriation Case**
The landowners are calling for a review of the expropriation procedures and compensation they received. They are also demanding that the authorities identify the party benefiting from the conversion of properties expropriated for public purposes into a private investment project. They reaffirmed their readiness to take the necessary legal measures to assert their rights.
At the end of his remarks to Zaman Al-Wasl, one of the landowners said: “The scent of Iyad Ghazal’s businessmen and the Assad regime hangs over the boulevard project,” suggesting that he believed the project was linked to economic and political interests.
The report did not include an official response from those overseeing the Boulevard Al-Nasr project or address the landowners’ allegations concerning property ownership and compensation levels. It was also unclear whether the relevant authorities had launched an official investigation into the matter.
