Syrian opposition demands more than lifting state of emergency

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad signed a decree on lifting the country's state of emergency. However, the law says nothing about the independence of the judicial system or limitation of the work of the special services, Syrian opposition member Heysam Al-Malikha said, RIA Novosti cites Al-Jazeera as reporting.
The state of emergency has been in force since 1963, with the coming of the BA'ATH party.
Another opposition member, Mulyaz Omran, said that lifting the state of emergency changes nothing, as special services continue operating beyond the law.
Syria has been experiencing mass protests since mid-March, with demands for political reforms and liberalization of the ruling regime.
Al-Jazeera reports that many Syrian cities have concentrations of forces. A military group with armored vehicles is heading towards Homs, where mass clashes between protesters and police occurred, with 15 people dead.
The opposition is using the internet and mobile phones to urge people to start protests. The Syrian Ministry of the Interior warned them against such actions and said that force will be used to protect the stability of the state.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have requested the Syrian authorities to avoid using force against the protesters.

The protests in Syria started in mid-March, when a group of pupils was detained for writing anti-government slogans on walls in Deraa. People demanded their release. About 200 people died in the clashes that followed, over 20 of whom were law-enforcers.

The Syrian authorities said that the disorders were caused by outside agents. They also announced a program of political and economic reforms.