20 December 2011 :

The Syrian regime is tightening its grip around armed rebels and deserters. The official news agency SANA reported that President Bashar al-Assad, has signed a decree imposing the death penalty on anyone who 'supplies weapons or helps supply weapons to commit terrorist acts'.
The measure also provides for life imprisonment and forced labour in cases of arms trafficking 'for profit or to commit terrorist acts'.
The Syrian government claims armed gangs and terrorists are behind the nine-month uprising against Assad's rule. Government opponents deny that and say they are protesters seeking more freedoms in one of the most authoritarian regimes in the Middle East.