Syrian President Assad grants amnesty, reduced sentences
- 16 Nov 2023
Bashar Al Assad attends the Arab League summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. File / Reuters
Syria’s president issued a decree granting amnesty and reducing sentences for several categories of crime committed prior to Thursday, his office and state media reported.
No reason was given for the amnesty but it came on the anniversary of the 1970 coup that brought the father and predecessor of President Bashar Assad to power.
It said that those who were sentenced to death will have their sentences commuted to life in prison and those who were sentenced to life in prison will end up serving 20 years.
The decree did not include an amnesty for the crimes of weapons smuggling or crimes resulting in deaths.
Associated Press