The draft law was passed on Tuesday as a concession by President Bashar al-Assad in the face of increasingly determined mass protests against his authoritarian rule. More than 200 people have been killed, rights groups say.

The end of emergency rule was, however, coupled with new legislation requiring Syrians to obtain a permit from the state if they want to hold demonstrations. Defiant protests continued regardless and sit-ins were held in several areas overnight.

Rights advocate Wissam Tarif said a protest was held in the Zabadani suburb of Damascus late Tuesday. A Youtube video showed protesters chanting "the people want the overthrow of the regime," the rallying cry of uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

A prominent leftist in the city, Mahmoud Issa, was taken from his house around midnight by members of Syria's feared political security division.