Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued Law No. (24) for the year 2024, which enforces penalties and fines on anyone who infringes on the components and systems of the electricity and telecommunications networks in the country. According to Law No. (24) for 2024, penalties can include temporary imprisonment for at least ten years and fines amounting to five times the value of the stolen materials. Additional penalties encompass anyone who "participates in transporting, concealing, possessing, selling, buying, or altering the form or nature of the stolen materials in any way to hide their origin and facilitate their disposal."
The law aims to "impose deterrent penalties against those who commit crimes against these networks, commensurate with the overall danger posed by their actions, as these crimes cause severe damage that disrupts the state's economic facilities and hinders its operations, leading to interruptions in the provision of essential services to citizens."
The Syrian electricity and telecommunications sectors have incurred significant financial losses due to theft in recent years, while the Syrian citizen suffers from the burdens of repeated electricity and telecommunications outages as a result of these transgressions. Previously, the Syrian Minister of Electricity, Engineer Ghassan al-Zamel, revealed to the Syrian newspaper "Thawra" that the estimated value of all thefts and violations on high voltage lines alone ("400 - 230 kv") reached more than 94 billion and 692 million Syrian pounds over the years 2021, 2022, and 2023, with a total number of thefts amounting to 3,391 (including towers, cables, and accessories).
