SANA: Assad Decrees General Amnesty over Unrest
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Syria's President Bashar Assad has decreed a general amnesty for crimes committed during unrest in the country over the past 10 months, the official SANA news agency said on Sunday.
"President Assad issued a decree stipulating a general amnesty for crimes committed during the events between March 15, 2011 and January 15, 2012," SANA reported, without elaborating.
Assad's regime has been rocked by a popular uprising since March, and the United Nations estimated in mid-December that a crackdown on the movement has killed more than 5,000 people.
The government in Damascus says far fewer have been killed while accusing "armed terrorist gangs" backed by foreign powers of being responsible for the violence.
Since November, the regime has announced that it will release nearly 4,000 prisoners "without blood on their hands."
In early November, it promised an amnesty for gun owners who surrender their weapons to police within eight days.
On May 31, Assad issued a general amnesty for all political prisoners, including members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood.
And on June 21, he declared an amnesty covering all crimes committed before June 20, according to SANA.
15 January 2012, 14:02
23
WOw now everybody will lay down their arms and go back to good old dictatorship and govermental State of emergency.
15 January 2012, 14:18
11
To late... Still wondering what to do after 10 months and 5000+ dead.
Should have taken lessons in country management, not something inherited from dictator to dictator.
15 January 2012, 14:21
10
Naharnet, could you kindly get the chronology right? This amnesty is in favour of both soldiers and armed opposition? Does it make sense, without a negotiation process between government and opposition? The Arab League should push for a negotiated path toward transition. Please, Arabs, take a chance on yourselves!
15 January 2012, 15:26
11
a syrian decree has no value in moukhabarat prisons.. but be sure bashar nobody will decree u.
15 January 2012, 16:38
11
He means that his Shabi7a, his army will not be tried for all the crimes they commited.
15 January 2012, 17:48
11
Does this mean his killer army and the killer Hezz shabiha get amnesty too? Does this mean the ones who gave the order to kill get amnesty too? Forget about it.....down with the regime.
15 January 2012, 19:11
11
Mr. Bashar, you are such an idiot, you saw a russian ship and you think those bears are gona save you.. did the USSR save the communist government of Afghanistan?? if the west decides to arm the Syrian rebels (and they will, matter of time) you will end up being caught like qadafe at the end. The Syrian people will not offer you any "Amnesty".
15 January 2012, 22:24
00
Cookie_Monster my fellow Shiite brother in jihad , at least the magnificent magnanimous president Bashar Assad did not release any of those Christian he has on his prisons . Can you imagine what kind of conspiracies they were involved in to be still incarcerated , probably much much worse than the al-Qaeda terrorists he just gave amnesty to .
15 January 2012, 22:26
00
Cookie_Monster my fellow Shiite brother in jihad , at least the magnificent magnanimous president Bashar Assad did not release any of those Christian he has on his prisons . Can you imagine what kind of conspiracies they were involved in to be still incarcerated , probably much much worse than the al-Qaeda terrorists he just gave amnesty to .
