Syrian authorities have walked back a controversial decision restricting alcohol sales in Damascus after protests and criticism, signalling a review of the policy while stopping short of a full reversal.
The Damascus Governorate said in a statement issued late Saturday that the measure "is not a new measure, but rather an organisation of previous decisions and laws", following backlash over plans to limit alcohol sales to predominantly Christian neighbourhoods.
The policy, introduced days earlier, banned the serving of alcoholic beverages in restaurants and nightclubs across the capital and restricted sales to the Christian-majority areas of Bab Touma, Qassaa, and Bab Sharqi.
It also imposed a minimum distance of 75 metres between alcohol shops and places of worship, cemeteries, and schools, alongside a 20-metre buffer around police stations and government buildings.
The move drew criticism from residents and officials, who warned it risked reinforcing sectarian divisions and undermining Syria’s social diversity.
In its "clarifying" statement, the governorate said: "We do not interfere in the personal freedoms of citizens. The decision is purely regulatory within the framework of previous decisions and laws, most notably Legislative Decree No. 180 of 1952, as well as decisions issued in 1998, 2010, 2013, and 2018, with the aim of unifying the legal reference."
It added that alcohol sales have long been limited to areas where the majority of residents are non-Muslims "out of respect for the particularity of this component", and that approval from neighbouring residents is required before licences are granted.
Officials also apologised to residents of the affected neighbourhoods, saying: "These areas represent an icon of the capital’s identity and culture, and we will review the three areas mentioned in the decision in a way that does not harm any component."
The statement clarified that venues licensed by the Ministry of Tourism, such as hotels, were not covered by the restrictions, and said proposals related to restaurants with a tourism-specific character would be considered.
Despite the clarification and apology, dozens of protesters gathered on Sunday in Bab Touma Square in a peaceful demonstration protected by public security forces.
Participants carried banners calling for "no discrimination between citizens, the preservation of diversity, and no infringement on personal freedoms", and stressed that it is "the duty of the state to protect rights, not impose guardianship over citizens, or divide Damascus neighbourhoods on a sectarian basis".
Governance researcher Zaidoun al-Zoubi described the governorate’s statement as "progressive and good, similar to how public security handled the demonstration", but acknowledged tensions during Syria’s transitional period.
"What is happening is an expected disturbance in a transitional phase," he told The New Arab .
"The important thing is not to infringe on citizens’ personal freedoms, to respect the right to protest, and not to fall under agendas of incitement and media disinformation."
He added: "What happened was a civilised objection to a decision that has been partially reversed, with the hope that the governorate will fully reverse it."
Meanwhile, Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Hind Kabawat criticised the policy, calling it "a step that undermines the social and cultural diversity for which Syria has historically been known".
"Areas with a Christian majority in Damascus, such as Bab Touma and Bab Sharqi, are part of the capital’s history and memory. They are not merely stereotypes reduced to superficial social expressions, but spaces of coexistence and cultural diversity," she said.