Beirut: Syria`s state news agency says President Bashar Assad has granted a general amnesty for crimes committed during the unrest of the past 10 months.
SANA says the amnesty issued Sunday covers those who have peacefully demonstrated, those who have carried unlicensed weapons and those who hand over their weapons to authorities before the end of January. It also applies to army deserters who fled military service if they turn themselves in before Jan. 31. It was not clear how many prisoners would be affected by Sunday`s pardon.
Since the outbreak of the uprising against Assad`s rule in March, Assad has freed 3,952 prisoners, according to SANA. The opposition claims there are thousands more in Syrian prisons. Bureau Report