President Bashar al-Assad promises elections and press freedom after seeing groundswell of protest across Arab world

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

Syrian authorities are to lift a five-year ban on Facebook in a move seen as an apparent "appeasement" measure, aimed at staving off unrest in the country following recent political developments in Egypt and Tunisia.

In a rare and candid interview, President Bashar al-Assad told the Wall Street Journal last week that he would push through political reforms this year aimed at initiating municipal elections, granting more power to non-governmental organisations and establishing a new media law.

The surprise move follows a failed "day of anger" protest in the Syrian capital, Damascus, last Friday and Saturday.

Crackdowns on internet freedom and fear of retribution following the recent arrest of protesters staging a solidarity vigil for Egypt was largely blamed for the lack of participation. Others pointed to widespread support for Assad, claiming calls for demonstrations were largely being co-ordinated by minority opposition groups from outside the country.

Officially banned in Syria, Facebook and other forbidden social networking sites such as YouTube are popular across the country and used by Syrians using international proxy servers to bypass firewalls.

"We are all using it anyway – so I don't see what difference it makes," said one Facebook user, Ahmad.

No official announcement is expected to be made on the decision – as was the case when the original ban first came into place.

The news was broken by Haykal Media, publishers of Forward Magazine, online via Twitter.

Mazen Darwish, from the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, said the move was positive and reflected a new trust in the Syrian people.

"This is great news," he said. "After what happened on the 4th and the 5th, the authorities now know that the Syrian people are not the enemy. We are not stupid and we know how to use these sites with intelligence."

He said he hoped the decision was also indicative of a "new mentality" in the country.

"This is not just about Facebook, this is about a change in the mentality that the population needs somehow to be controlled. Things are changing. I hope this is the first step in a broader reform programme."