The Assads' Syria (Dictatorships)

Officially a republic, Syria has been under emergency law since 1963 and governed by the Ba'ath Party. The head of state since 1970 has been a member of the Assad family. Syria's current president is Bashar al-Assad, son of Hafez al-Assad, who held office from 1970 until his death in 2000. With the appointment of Bashar al-Assad in 2000, interest in political reform surged. Assad appointed pro-reform candidates to formal and less formal positions, but the 2001 arrest and long-term detention of two reformist parliamentarians signaled slow political reform. The country has been accused of gross violations of human rights in detaining opponents of the government.