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Syrian authorities reopen old files to extort top traders
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that the new authorities in Syria have, for approximately three months, been reviewing and reopening old files related to major traders in Damascus and Aleppo. These files are stored in the archives of the "Political Security" and "Military Intelligence" agencies, with the aim of imposing financial extortion on them. These measures mirror the tactics used by the previous regime to control the economy and dominate markets.
According to sources from the Observatory, these steps are taken under the slogan: “Where were you for the past 14 years?” implying that these traders did not support the Syrian revolution at its outset and were previously accused of supporting Bashar Assad’s regime. The current authorities are using this rhetoric as a justification to extort them financially and impose hefty sums in exchange for overlooking their security files.
The source indicated that there is a state of resentment and anger among top traders in Damascus and Aleppo, who see these measures as reinforcing the approach of tightening restrictions on free economic activity and reproducing the corruption system that prevailed under the previous regime. This approach threatens further economic contraction and undermines businessmen’s confidence in the new authorities’ ability to manage the country’s affairs transparently and effectively.
