Syria to lift state of emergency

48-year state of emergency, state TV reported.
The state of emergency has been in place since the ruling Baath Party seized power in a 1963 coup.
It gave the security apparatuses almost boundless powers to stifle dissent through a ban on gatherings of over five people, arbitrary arrest and closed trials, and became the main demand of recent weeks-long protests in Syria.
Assad also approved the draft laws of abolishing the State Security Court and the rights of citizens for peaceful demonstration. Assad, who succeeded his father Hafez al-Assad 11 years ago, announced recently a series of reforms including releasing political detainees, sacking the government and increasing state workers’ incomes. – Xinhua.