A presidential amnesty decree issued by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan has many families anxiously waiting to see if their loved ones will benefit from the pardon. The apology does not cover those with blood on their hands, and it is unclear how it will affect the thousands of Syrians who fled the country during a bitter civil war that began in March 2011.
Thousands of Syrians have waited near an iconic bridge in Syria to see if their loved ones could be among those released as a result of the amnesty decree since the president issued an amnesty earlier this week.
A young woman who waited patiently to see her father, who she believes is lodged in the infamous Sednaya prison, said she was looking for any information about him.
She said that her father was taken prisoner nine years ago and she only wants to know whether he is being caught, and whether he is alive or dead.
Another young man, waiting for his loved ones, said his father had been detained 11 years ago and transferred from prison to prison, then back, and that his brother, a military officer, had been sentenced to nine years. was previously taken into custody, and he wants to find out if he is alive.
Most of those detained were taken as part of a counter-terrorism order issued by the Syrian government in 2012. Justice Nizar Sadiqani, the deputy minister of justice, explained to Syrian TV that the alleged crimes committed by the detainees are included in this week’s presidential pardon.
He said that the offenses under the ambit of amnesty include any act which has affected the security in the country, caused fear or panic among the public, or caused damage to public infrastructure, irrespective of how it was done. Yes, and so long as no blood is shed. Its consequence (as per the Terrorism Act of 2012).
Khattar Abu Diab, who teaches political science at the University of Paris, told VOA he believed the Syrian president issued his apology decree to improve his government’s image abroad after a video surfaced of Britain. Guardian Newspaper showing the 2013 massacre of prisoners in Damascus, a suburb of Tadamon.
He said the plight of families waiting for their loved ones on the Damascus Bridge reflects a clear lack of humanism by the Assad regime. He said the Syrian government may have issued an apology because it felt isolated because of its support for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine and the damage from the 2013 massacre video.
He further said that the government’s move is meaningless, as it does not appear that many prisoners have been released or the fate of many of those who have gone missing has been disclosed.
The Syrian government’s military prosecutor, Colonel Mohamed Hossam, told Syrian TV that he feels the apology is needed because it takes a written decision to exonerate those who have been in several towns and cities of the country during the past several years with government forces. After surrendering to the U.S. and signing the reconciliation. Agreements They insist that those agreements need to be codified.
Syrian government analyst Ghassan Yusuf also told Arab media that he thinks Turkey may lose its support for several Syrian opposition groups as a result of political reconciliation with Turkey between various Arab governments such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. and ultimately reduce the tension inside the country.
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