DAMASCUS

Syria’s Justice Ministry said Wednesday that preserving the country’s unity and sovereignty is a red line, warning that any calls or actions that challenge it will be treated as serious crimes against state security.

In a statement carried by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the ministry said safeguarding national unity and sovereignty is “a firm constitutional principle that does not allow infringement.”

The ministry warned that any calls or practices that undermine this principle constitute serious crimes affecting state security and will face strict legal measures to protect the country’s supreme national interest.

It stressed that the Syrian state remains committed to the rule of law and to respecting public rights and freedoms guaranteed by the constitution. It said freedom of opinion and expression is a protected right, but must be exercised within legally defined limits that serve the public interest and preserve civil peace.

The ministry added that existing laws regulate these rights through binding legal controls and procedures aimed at protecting citizens, safeguarding public and private property, and preventing acts that could disrupt security or paralyze public services. Any violation of those rules, it warned, represents a clear breach of the law.

The statement said the state draws a clear and decisive distinction between peaceful, lawful expression of opinion and acts involving incitement, abuse or threats to civil peace. It added that prohibited acts include the use of sectarian or denominational rhetoric, as well as any form of hate speech or incitement to division within society.

Such acts are criminalized under Syrian law and warrant accountability and prosecution because they pose a direct threat to social unity and stability, the ministry said.

It stressed that state institutions will not tolerate any violations of the law and that the law will be applied to everyone without exception or discrimination, regardless of status, affiliation or motive.

It called on citizens to fully comply with the law when exercising their rights and to uphold their national responsibilities, adding that competent authorities will take all necessary legal measures against violators and enforce the law firmly to protect public order, preserve civil peace and safeguard state security.

The statement came amid heightened tensions in western and central Syria, as authorities seek to maintain internal stability.

On Sunday, gunmen targeted security forces while they were protecting demonstrations in coastal cities and parts of central Syria, resulting in eight deaths and scores of injuries among security personnel and civilians in the city of Latakia.

The new Syrian administration is working to tighten security conditions nationwide and to pursue remnants of the former regime accused of stirring security unrest.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new transitional administration headed by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January.